RSS FeedIndie Bookstore Chapters Makes A Bid To Return
The independently owned Chapters Literary Bookstore closed its 11th Street doors in the fall of 2007 but has now reorganized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is making a bid to come back downtown with a letter-of-intent in hand for a new retail location. The new name? Chapters Literary Arts Center & Bookstore. The new space? One of the retail spots in the mixed use 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW building (see photo above). More follows the break…
Chapters Literary Arts Center plans include continuing to build an audience for literary reading and all the language arts, including foreign languages, by restoring its 22 year-old indie Chapters Literary Bookstore. Programs such as Le Déjeuner du Mercredi, the Mystery Monday Lunchtime Series, Cafe Philo, the Shakespeare Reading Group and the Poetry Happy Hour would come back, as well as initiating new programs for Literary Lawyers and for Literacy Tutors. They will also provide offsite literacy programs in conjunction with the neighboring legal institutions (the DC Superior Courthouse and the Pretrial Services Agency) and other nonprofits. The Literary Reader and Writer’s Reference Library, a Tea Bar & Poetry Stand and a small Community Letterpress are included in the venue’s revival plans.
Washington DC is not the only city to see an independent bookstore have to accommodate a changing retail landscape. The largest bookstore in the North America, Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon that takes up a full city block, pulled its expansion plans because of a stuttering economy. WaPo’s Marc Fisher recently opined on the closing of Vertigo Books in College Park, Maryland and all retail businesses are seeing the sands shift underneath their feet; indie bookstores are no exception. Does having an indie bookstore presence help stake out a downtown, urban lifestyle? Having visited a few such stores in cities across the United States, we think so.
As a 501(c)(3) organization, Chapters is accepting tax deductible contributions by check made out to Chapters Literary Arts Center for its capital campaign. They are closing in on 30 days left until a mid-June deadline to raise funds and plan to be present at the upcoming May 12 DNA meeting to answer questions.
Mailing address: Chapters Literary Arts Center, PO Box 14101, Washington, DC, 20044
Drop off address: Ask for Terri Merz at Teaism’s Tea Shop (400 8th Street, NW) on Saturdays and Sundays
E-mail address: chapters.literary@erols.com
Phone: 202-737-5553
Website: www.chaptersliterary.com
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Comments
THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS!
Welcome to our beautiful building at 601 Pennsylvania Avenue. We have been waiting for a quality operation to move into the vacant space just next to our lobby, Chapters bookstore, how wonderful! I am very excited that you are going to be our neighbors, welcome, welcome, welcome!
We will be frequent visitors!
Theresa and James Hilsdon
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Sounds cool! I’m looking forward to going there!