Congratulations to the Book Mart and Café, Starkville, Miss., which is celebrating its 40th anniversary tomorrow with a party at the store at 1 p.m. Owners and founders are Joe and Jimmie Brown. Jimmie Brown ran the store until her retirement two years ago; her daughter Carolyn Abadie has managed it daily although Jimmie Brown still checks on things daily. (The Browns also own Campus Book Mart, which has three branches in Mississippi.) Starkville is home of Mississippi State University.
The 10,000-sq.-ft. store sells trade books, textbooks, vintage books (Joe Brown is a book collector and writes and publishes scientific books), collegiate clothing, gifts and has a children's section. Added four years ago, the café hosts card groups, study groups and other social events.
Book Mart and Café regularly hosts author events, and its large regional section reflects the diversity of Mississippi's authors. Carolyn Abadie said the family-owned business "plans to continue to operate for many years to come."
