 |
|
| Owners Linda Brower (top) and Karen Barringer (bottom). | |
Lopez Bookshop, Lopez Island, Wash., has started its fifth year in a big way. In January, the store closed for a little over a week to expand and now has another room and an additional 150 square feet of space for its growing inventory of new and used books. The new room also serves as an event space for readings by visiting authors and local writers.
In the new arrangement, it's easier to find new arrivals and staff recommendations, and two comfy chairs and a small table are in front of the new room's picture windows. Customers have said they like the ambience the remodel created. "We've noticed that they linger and browse longer," said Linda Brower, who owns the store with her sister, Karen Barringer.
The remodel was a family affair involving Barringer and Brower, their spouses and Brower's son. But they credit many others. As Barringer put it, "The only reason we could do this is because of the support from our community."
Lopez Bookshop is located on Lopez Island, one of the San Juan Islands.