Taschen Books has opened "its newest and warmest" store, in Miami Beach, Fla. Like the Taschen stores in New York, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Paris, London, Berlin, Brussels, Cologne, Hamburg and Copenhagen, the Miami Beach store was designed by Philippe Starck. The store, in a new building with 12 other upscale retailers, features murals painted by British artists Toby Ziegler.
The store carries a full range of Taschen titles in contemporary and classic art, photography, design, architecture, sex, travel, cinema and pop culture, as well as a selection of the publisher's titles in Spanish and Portuguese.
The store is located at 1111 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach, Fla. 33139; 305-538-6185.
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Open Book, Milwaukee, Wis., which made its debut last fall in the former Harry
W. Schwartz Bookstore location on North Oakland Avenue, will close April
30. The bookstore's organizers "cited 'a confluence of events'
for the closing, including the economy, a change in the public's
book-buying habits and strong competition from online booksellers," the Journal Sentinel reported.
"We had an
expectation that we would have a much more robust holiday season than we
did," said Keith Schmitz, chairman of the Open Book co-op. He added
that the store had difficulty regaining former Schwartz customers.
The
shop had a troubled, if brief, history, including controversy over its
initial failure "to properly register the business with the state as a
co-operative. As a result, people who thought they were joining a co-op
actually were buying shares in a limited liability corporation. The
organizers later corrected their mistake, and Open Book now is
registered as a co-op," the Journal Sentinel wrote.
The
store's approach also caused conflicts with indie booksellers Lanora
Hurley and Daniel Goldin--owners of two other former Schwartz locations (Shelf Awareness, November 9, 2010).
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Steamboat Today profiled Steamboat Springs,
Colo., booksellers Ron and Sue Krall, co-owners of Off the Beaten Path
Bookstore & Café; and Erica Fogue, owner of Epilogue Book Co.,
noting that they "are devoted, arguably fanatic lovers of books in their
physical form.... But they know their industry is changing
dramatically, and their business models are changing as a result."
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In Seattle, Wash., Pioneer Square retailers are facing a new challenge
in addition to the imminent departure of Elliott Bay Book Company,
which will close March 31 and relocate to Capitol Hill. The Seattle Times reported that while local
retailers "have long hoped for more attention from the city, a recent
increase in enforcement of regulations prohibiting sidewalk boards was
not what they had in mind."
"It's just an insane thing to do at
the beginning of the tourist season and when the city is hurting for
sales," said Seattle Mystery Bookshop owner J.B. Dickey, who received a
warning from a city permit inspector last week saying he had to remove
his sidewalk board or it could be impounded and he could be fined up to
$500.
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For Jim Lehrer, it's Goodnight Moon by
Margaret Wise Brown; for Michelle Obama, it's Where the Wild Things
Are by Maurice Sendak; and for Diane Rehm, it's Peter Rabbit
by Beatrix Potter. The Washington Post asked these and other local
public figures to "name the book they most enjoyed reading to their
children."
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Greenpoint News celebrated the third anniversary last week of WORD, Brooklyn, N.Y., writing, "With an amazing selection of titles, a jam-packed events schedule, a literary basketball league, a running club, a Bananagrams tournament series, crafting events, pot lucks, and even a literary matchmaking board, WORD has in just three short years become a one-stop spot to meet all needs, from books, to sports, art, food, community, and love."
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Book trailer of the day: The Animal Boogie by Debbie Harter (Barefoot Books).
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In conjunction with the Spring Book Show, Fri.-Sun., March 26–28, in Atlanta, Ga., the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance and the American Booksellers Association are conducting spring educational sessions. On the program:
Readings by River Jordan, author of Saints in Limbo, and Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, author of Suck Your Stomach In and Put Some Color On!: What Southern Mamas Tell Their Daughters that the Rest of Y'all Should Know Too. The pair will also talk about their Southern Wing & a Prayer Tour and interview each other.
SIBA board and staff members will meet booksellers one on one to discuss a range of topics, from social networking to budgeting to selling used and remainder books.
ABA staff will lead a session on online website promotion.
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The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association and ABA are teaming up for a spring forum that will take place on Tuesday, April 13, at Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, Wash. The program includes discussions led by ABA COO Len Vlahos on online website promotion and ABA CEO Oren Teicher on industry issues as well as an introduction to the store's Espresso Book Machine.
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The sixth annual World PEN Voices Festival of International Literature takes place Monday, April 26, through Sunday, May 2, and features appearances by some 150 authors from around the world, who will participate in readings, panels, performances and conversations throughout New York City. Some of the guests will also appear at events in Seattle, San Francisco, Portland and Pittsburgh.
Highlights include Readings from Around the Globe, the opening night at the 92nd Street Y; a panel on screen adaptations of books; discussions on global warming, war and Iran; the PEN Cabaret, to be held at Le Poisson Rouge; and the Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture, given this year by Sherman Alexie.
For a full schedule, go to pen.org/festival. Many events are free, but some require reservations and some have a fee.