Just in time for one of the biggest sales weeks of the year,
Cornerstone Books opened officially on Monday in downtown Salem, Mass.,
in the renovated Laundry Building--renamed Derby Lofts--that now houses
several other businesses and 54 condos.
Exceedingly busy owner Gilbert Pili described the 3,000-sq.-ft. Cornerstone to Shelf Awareness as a general bookstore "with a little bit of everything." That consists of 14,000 book and audiobooks as well as music CDs, DVDs and board and computer games that "fit in with genres," as Pili said. For example, the mystery section includes the PBS Sherlock Holmes series and the game Myst. Cornerstone aims to be selective so that, as the store puts it on its Web site, "you won't find the latest Britney Spears album (although we can get that for you, too), but you might find a Duke Ellington classic or the latest world album from Ali Farka Toure." Already the site has listed a book, game, video and album of the week.
Cornerstone has a café serving coffee and baked goods, wi-fi access, a public access computer and a fireplace. Pili aims to make Cornerstone a place where community groups can meet and plans to host book clubs, chess tournaments, author signings, lectures, discussions, concerts and children's storytelling events.
"In the corporate world for 15-20 years," Pili is new to bookselling but participated in a Paz & Associates Opening a Bookstore workshop, among other educational initiatives, and spent three years planning for and setting up the store. His staff has bookselling experience.
Pili had hoped to open the store before the summer, but unexpected structural problems led to lengthy delays. Commenting on the opening, he said, "It's nice finally to control one's own destiny rather than have it all controlled by contractors and construction workers."
Cornerstone Books is located at 45 Lafayette St., Salem, Mass. 01970; 617-218-2931; fax 617-812-2562; info@cornerstonebooks-salem.com; www.cornerstonebooks-salem.com.
Exceedingly busy owner Gilbert Pili described the 3,000-sq.-ft. Cornerstone to Shelf Awareness as a general bookstore "with a little bit of everything." That consists of 14,000 book and audiobooks as well as music CDs, DVDs and board and computer games that "fit in with genres," as Pili said. For example, the mystery section includes the PBS Sherlock Holmes series and the game Myst. Cornerstone aims to be selective so that, as the store puts it on its Web site, "you won't find the latest Britney Spears album (although we can get that for you, too), but you might find a Duke Ellington classic or the latest world album from Ali Farka Toure." Already the site has listed a book, game, video and album of the week.
Cornerstone has a café serving coffee and baked goods, wi-fi access, a public access computer and a fireplace. Pili aims to make Cornerstone a place where community groups can meet and plans to host book clubs, chess tournaments, author signings, lectures, discussions, concerts and children's storytelling events.
"In the corporate world for 15-20 years," Pili is new to bookselling but participated in a Paz & Associates Opening a Bookstore workshop, among other educational initiatives, and spent three years planning for and setting up the store. His staff has bookselling experience.
Pili had hoped to open the store before the summer, but unexpected structural problems led to lengthy delays. Commenting on the opening, he said, "It's nice finally to control one's own destiny rather than have it all controlled by contractors and construction workers."
Cornerstone Books is located at 45 Lafayette St., Salem, Mass. 01970; 617-218-2931; fax 617-812-2562; info@cornerstonebooks-salem.com; www.cornerstonebooks-salem.com.