Not that beachgoers like to read any less, but as of late, East End bookstores aren't necessarily having the easiest of lives. Take the BookHampton store in Amagansett Square. That outpost had to close its doors after just two years of business. As the owner, Charline Spektor, explains, "We just didn't see the kind of foot traffic we were expecting." A similar fate befell Barnacle Books in Montauk when then-owner Angelika Cruz found herself unable to devote time to the popular store.
But as those stories end, two new ones begin: one at Books & Books in Westhampton Beach, and another at the Montauk Bookshop. The former venture comes from Jack McKeown of the Miami-based Books & Books. McKeown is keen to "reinvent the bookstore" in the face of a failing Borders and a Kindle-crazy Amazon. And the latter comes from Perry Haberman, who used to operate on Madison Avenue, but has since moved to the former Barnacle Books location. To set himself apart, Haberman "has been hand-delivering books to local customers as far as Sagaponack at no extra charge." What a nice touch! This East End saga is definitely a page turner.
· Amid Rise in E-Books, 2 New Shops [WSJ]
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