Cool idea of the day. Every afternoon through Christmas
Eve, volunteer readers sit in the windows of Sam Weller's Zion
Bookstore, Salt Lake City, Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
"Decorated like a living room, the window is warm and comes stocked
with snacks and hot drinks," the paper wrote. "When the store set out
criteria for the window, it asked for all kinds of families--however
people defined the term. So far, readers who signed up range from
teenage friends to couples on dates to a grandfather and his grandson.
'It's everyone,' said Jennifer Nielsen, who is in charge of decorating
the store's windows and coordinating the readers' shifts. 'All the
customers have loved it.' "
Most people read, silently or aloud, but some have played board games
or chat. Friends and family of readers receive a discount on purchases
while the readers are reading. Readers themselves receive a discount
after their face time is up.
Catherine Weller, manager of retail operations, tells us that on
Saturday, the 23rd, Sam and Lila Weller will be in the window with an
old friend, who will read to Sam, who's blind.
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We're sad to hear that Bethanne Patrick, editor of AOL
Books and the blog AOL's Book Maven, was one of the many people layed
off this week by AOL. She writes that she is starting a new blog thereadingwriter.typepad.com and can be reached at thereadingwriter@aol.com.
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Olsson's has opened its store in Crystal City in Arlington, Va. (Shelf Awareness, July 31, 2006), and now has six stores in and around Washington, D.C. The new Olsson's is at 2200 Crystal Dr.; 703-413-8121.
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Congratulations to David McCullough, author of such classics as John Adams, The Path Between the Seas, Mornings on Horseback, The Johnstown Flood and The Great Bridge, who today is one of a group who will be awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House.
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Bookselling This Week profiles
Malaprop's Bookstore/Café in Asheville, N.C., which next year
celebrates its 25th anniversary. The store, which has maintained a
European sensibility thanks to owner Emoke B'Racz, who grew up in
Hungary, now has 6,000 square feet of space as well as a sibling store,
Downtown Books & News, which carries newspapers, magazines and used
books.
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Over
the next two months, World Publications, the bargain and promotional
books house, is moving to a 250,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in East
Bridgewater, Mass., Bargain Book News reported. The company is also holding a major sale to celebrate the move. For more information, contact Kena Fernandes movingsale@wrldpub.net or 508-880-5555 or 1-800-799-4090.
The new address for offices and warehouse is 140 Laurel St., East Bridgewater, Mass. 02333.