Why I Love Independent Bookstores
I got mad love for my indies.
Kramerbooks Loot
I love indies… and comics!
Politics & Prose: Revisiting First Impressions
Politics and Prose has no small claim to bookselling fame; it is one of the most successful independent bookstores in the country. The store is perhaps best known for its author events, which attract legions of famous writers and large crowds.
One More Page: A Community Bookstore
This month for Indie Thursday, I’m writing about Arlington’s One More Page Books & More, owned and operated by Eileen McGervey. For Eileen McGervey, One More Page is not just a business; it’s a passion. She did enough research at the beginning to know that she wouldn’t make her fortune in bookselling. In fact, she eschews the idea. Her definition of success is simply “to be able to pay the bills” and keep the doors of her store open. But perhaps McGervey […]
One More Page: Meeting Carolyn Parkhurst
I’ve staked out a folding chair on the cleared sales floor of One More Page. A few rows up, Carolyn Parkhurst is arranging sundry items on the table: a hat, a t-shirt, a framed picture of herself. These items appeared in Parkhurst’s promotional video for her latest book, The Nobodies Album—possibly the funniest book trailer ever.
One More Page: Chocolate and Wine
Eileen McGervey is preparing for a varietal wine tasting at One More Page Books & More. Wine and chocolate make up the “More.” She moves through the store, adjusting books on the shelves, moving chairs and tables back into place, and carefully arranging wine glasses on a table. “This is the side of bookselling they don’t tell you about,” she says with one of her un-self-conscious laughs. Bars of gourmet chocolate neatly line a table in front of the register. Orange peel, […]
One More Page: Starting a Bookstore in a Recession
“I am not crazy,” Eileen McGervey says.
Dressed in a soft pink sweater, black stretch pants, and sneakers, she never seems to stop moving; she pushes her short, curly hair out of her eyes as she scoots a table and chairs into a corner of the room. She’s preparing for an author event.
Book Festivals and “The Wire”
Book Festivals This has been an excellent weekend for books. The National Book Festival, now in its eleventh year, added an extra day to the festivities on the National Mall. And the Baltimore Book Festival also happened this weekend, though I was so busy with NBF I couldn’t attend. I had a great time wandering through crowds of book lovers swarming the Mall, watching lines of eager fans snake by the book-signing booths, and listening to great talks about books and writing. […]
Melody Schreiber 