Notes: Big New B&N; Sisters in Crime's 20th; 'Drastic Times'
The new wing will have seven other stores, restaurants and more. A 3,900-sq.-ft. Waldenbooks store elsewhere in the mall renewed its lease this spring.
Sandra Goldstein, executive director of the Stamford Downtown Special Services District, told the paper that the addition of Barnes & Noble was "an extraordinary coup for the mall's renaissance. To get a bookstore that is building its premier, showcase urban model in our city is just phenomenal."
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Tower Records, which has two bookstores and sells a limited selection of books in its music stores, has named Joseph L. D'Amico as interim CEO, succeeding Allen Rodriguez, who decided not to renew his contract.
D'Amico is a senior managing director at FTI Palladium Partners, where he serves "in interim management capacities" for other companies. His main goal at Tower will be to sell the company, which the board of directors decided to do early this year (Shelf Awareness, February 23).
In a statement, D'Amico pitched Tower Records as "a true icon in the entertainment industry," and said the company "presents a rare opportunity for the right party to leverage a renowned brand name, unique physical locations, and an award-winning online presence to turn Tower Records into the preeminent entertainment retailer in the U.S."
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Sisters in Crime, which has more than 3,000 members--writers, fans, booksellers and librarians committed to parity for female mystery authors--is celebrating its 20th anniversary this fall. In October, bookstores nationwide can celebrate with Sisters in Crime by setting up displays highlighting the organization and its authors. To sign up for a free kit including poster, bookmarks, pencils, booklet of authors by location, crime scene tape, bumper stickers, pencils and more, click here.
The deadline--and we mean deadline--is August 10.
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One of the more unusual bookstores we've heard about--the Bookstore in Reidsville, N.C., founded in 1992--is "slated to close in March," according to the Greensboro News-Record. Owned by Richard Moore, who is also closing his gadfly newspaper, the Neely Chronicle, the Bookstore became the only general bookstore in the county last year after a Waldenbooks closed. Despite the lack of that competition, sales "slumped so much that Moore is now selling used books and has added what he called a 'porn corner' to the shop." He told the paper, "Drastic times call for drastic measures."