Amy Stewart, author of Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad,
and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers; her husband, Scott Brown,
co-founder and editor of Fine Books & Collections magazine; Jack
Irvine, a doctor and book collector; and his wife, Peggy Irvine, have
bought Eureka Books, an antiquarian bookstore in Eureka, Calif.
Previous owners Carlos and Marilyn Benemann have retired and would
have closed the store by the end of the year if they hadn't found a
buyer.
Stewart wrote that Wednesday was the new owners' first day, "and I am
still getting my mind around the fact that all these books belong to
me. It's probably not a good idea for me to work behind the desk just
yet; I'm not sure I will be able to let anything walk out of the store
until I've read it. That could slow sales down considerably."
The store's employees--manager Jere Bob Bowden and booksellers Mark
Shikuma and Ann Hunt--are all staying on. The new owners want to expand
the store's offerings, including the local history and local author
sections, host more events and bring in more rare and hard-to-find books.
Nancy Short and Jennifer McFadden, owners of Booklegger, a general used
bookstore several doors from Eureka, provided some "behind-the-scenes
help," Stewart wrote, including a window display of books that
commented on the quartet's negotiations to buy the store. Titles in the
window included Getting to Yes and Great Expectations as well as several that might resonate with independent booksellers, Endangered Species, The Places That Scare You
and You Are Not Alone.