Ed and Ann Berlin have transferred ownership of the Ivy Bookshop, Baltimore, Md., to their business partner, Emma Snyder. Darielle Linehan opened the bookstore in 2002 and sold it to the Berlins in 2012. Snyder, who previously served as executive director of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation in Washington, D.C., returned to her native Baltimore in 2017 to join them as a co-owner of the Ivy. The partnership was designed to be a gradual transition, with Snyder taking sole ownership of the store when the Berlins decided to retire.
"Emma will be a dynamic and creative owner," said Ed Berlin. "The Ivy will remain the finest bookstore in Baltimore. The best is yet to come for the bookstore and the Ivy community."
Snyder, who will be aided in the transition by the current staff, some of whom have been with the store since its first day, commented: "The Ivy is a remarkable place, and I feel intensely fortunate to step in and play this role in a business that's far more than a business. The Ivy's a cultural space, a community space, and for many people a deeply personal space. There's such a sincere attachment to it from a large and devoted community of readers, and it's this attachment that's why, after 17 years, we're here and thriving. For that, we're just plain thankful.
"Bookstores are special places, and The Ivy is more special than most. In the next few decades, which is what I'm committed to, I look forward to a very fun, thoroughly communal adventure figuring out what a bookstore can and should be in this age and this place."