Atelier26 Books Blog: Featured Indies!

With the approach of Independent Bookstore Day this weekend, we're taking a look back at Atelier26's "Featured Indie" series, highlighting a few of the best stores in the biz. It's no stretch to say that vitality of the indies means vitality for democratic culture itself, which begins in and consists of (what else?) neighborhoods!
(See our full list of bookselling partners.)

BOOKSHOP SANTA CRUZ (SANTA CRUZ, CA)

Owned since 1973 by the Coonerty family, the bookshop thrives in a symbiotic relationship with the vibrant intellectual and civic life of its community on the Monterey Bay (former owner Neal Coonerty was mayor for a time). Following the devastating 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which leveled the bookshop, an army of local supporters helped rescue much of the store’s inventory from the rubble. Over the course of the bookshop’s three-year rebuilding campaign, the store was housed in a tent and a fundraiser through the Northern California Booksellers Association made it possible for all bookshop employees to continue earning wages. ...

BOOKS, INC. (SF BAY AREA)

What would you do if you struck it rich? For us here at Ateler26 HQ, it’s a no-brainer. Open a bookstore, of course! So we have an immediate trans-chronological fondness for a fellow named Anton Roman, who, in the thick of the California Gold Rush back in 1851, unearthed a fortune in Shasta City, then promptly hung out his shingle as a bookseller. “That small bookstore,” as the keepers of the history tell it nowadays, “was moved, bought, sold, burned, rebuilt, renamed and became Books Inc., as we know it today, in 1946.” ...

MICAWBER'S BOOKS (ST. PAUL, MN)

"Our stock is different because none of it is based on paid placement or co-op. Every book we carry is because we want to carry that specific book. ... Here, we don’t use electronic algorithms to tell people what they might like — we talk to them. ... I’ve never seen one of our main priorities as keeping up with the Joneses. Our responsibility to our customers is to have an interesting stock and provide good customer service." ...

MRS. DALLOWAY'S BOOKSTORE (BERKELEY, CA)

Situated comfortably among organic eateries and upscale boutiques along College Avenue in Berkeley’s Elmwood District, Mrs. Dalloway’s has proudly served its community (and the larger Bay Area) since 2004. From its inception, the store’s distinctive, hand-chosen inventory has earned the admiration of devoted readers and brought surprised delight to many chance visitors. ...

ORINDA BOOKS (ORINDA, CA)

This capacious 4,500 square-foot store offers more than 14,000 titles on its beautifully arranged shelves and tables. Much of the inventory is handpicked in the best curatorial style by a staff of passionate, knowledgeable readers who love to discover, talk about, and sell books. ...

POWELL'S BOOKS (PORTLAND, OR)

The power of large, for Powell's,

has never invalidated the power of local. The handsell, that book-vending art born only of an "old-fashioned" emphasis on community, remains a core value in all Powell's operations. Whether serving readers in the neighborhoods of Portland or in the infinite neighborhoods of the Internet, Powell's seeks to connect people with something far more meaningful, beautiful, and important than the paltry handful of titles on the bestseller list of some east coast newspaper. ...

RJ JULIA BOOKSELLERS (MADISON, CT)

Here’s a dedicated, gloriously actual store staffed by warmly actual human beings who prefer the term readers rather than “customers” for their clientele, whether in-person or online. Clearly, these are booksellers who recognize the old-fashioned, time-honored handsell as something far more significant than a mere commercial transaction. ...

Also, be sure to get acquainted with these outstanding booksellers in that bastion of the literary, our own Portland, Oregon:

Annie Bloom's Booksellers
Another Read Through
Broadway Books
Mother Foucault's
Reading Frenzy