November 14, 2011
Spurling
We’re thrilled to report that BookPeople of Moscow has been sold. Longtime owner Bob Greene, who is retiring, announced on 11-11-2011 at 11:11, that Carol Spurling and Steffen Werner have bought the store.
Spurling has been a bookseller at Old Harbor Books in Sitka, Alaska, and also managed Brused Books in Pullman for three years. She is currently the outreach and ownership coordinator at the Moscow Food Co-op. Spurling says owning a bookstore has been a dream of hers since she was young.
“Bookpeople is a beloved institution in Moscow and the Northwest and we’re honored to be entrusted with its care into the future,” she says. “Kudos to Bob, who has kept it going for so many years while many small independent bookstores have struggled to survive. We want to preserve everything that makes Bookpeople great and establish a good relationship with its loyal customers, and of course look forward to putting our own stamp on the store and bringing in lots of new customers as well.”
Spurling’s son, incidentally, was born November 11, 2000 at 11:30 am.
After sixteen years at BookPeople, Betsy Dickow will work part-time and will continue to do book appraisals.
Greene will manage the store until December 28, eleven years to the date that BookPeople moved to its present location.
An auspicious start for the new owners, we hope. Congratulations to Greene, Spurling and Werner!
— posted by
Jamie
Thank you for keeping our small local book stores alive. I have started my holiday shopping at …and Books, too! in Clarkston, WA. I found SEEING TREES by Nancy R. Hugo for a favorite naturalist in our family. I also discovered A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 100 OBJECTS by Neil MacGregor for a collector of historic antiques. It is such fun to select the books for friends and family members and predict their enjoyment in the written words and photos. After reading Blue Heaven by C.J. Box I’m hooked and I am currently reading FREE FIRE:A Joe Pickett Novel. These books are such quick and engaging reads that I can hardly wait until the next book!
Thanks
Andrea
Thanks for commenting, Andrea—and for the great gift ideas! We hope you’ll continue to participate on NWBL. (ps You’re entered in the contest!).
Great to hear that a book lover’s dream has come true and that an independent book store can continue to be an asset to a local community. Just received your NWBookLovers.org, 2011 Holiday Books Guide. Just in time for gift shopping at Orca Books in Olympia, WA – one of my favorite places on Earth.
I absolutely LOVE independent bookstores. My favorite local one is Park Place Books in Kirkland, WA. My other favorite is not quite local; however. Whenever we visit Cannon Beach, OR I hurry into Cannon Beach Books to see what’s new and notable. I just spent a lovely half hour browsing the books in the NWBookLovers.org, 2011 Holiday Books Guide – thanks for all the great holiday choices! Everyone on my gift list is getting a book or two this year ; )