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TOP TO BOTTOM: PATRON BUNNY DELL HANGING OUT WITH THE BOOKSELLERS OF

BOOKHAMPTON IN EASTHAMPTON; BOOKHAMPTON IN EAST HAMPTON. LEFT TO

RIGHT: CHARLINE SPEKTOR, OWNER, AND KIM LOMBARDINI, BOOKSELLER.

our readings,” says Arora. “I love heading up a group like this. It helps you to grow and develop discipline as a writer. I find that people are still starved for a literary community. The bookstore is a wonderful place to cultivate that.” Farther east in East Hampton, Manhat- tanites Charline Spektor and her husband, Jeremy Nussbaum, had opened BookHampton 15 years ago (www.bookhampton.com ). They expanded to Southampton and then Sag Har- bor, which recently closed its doors after Jer- emy’s death two years ago. Spektor says knowing the community and

who meet for lunch at Rowdy Hall across Main Street (www.RowdyHall.com ) and get their books at BookHampton. History Huntington’s Book Revue, (www.bookrevue. com) owned by the Klein brothers, has been at the same location for more than 37 years, first opening their doors on “Black Friday” in 1977, starting with just $20,000 and a dream. Owners Bobby and Richard Klein, originally Long Islanders, began their book business first in Washington D.C.

“I worked at Savile Book Shop in an old converted Brownstone in the Georgetown area,” says Richard. “Bob- by came to D.C. after college.” Richard convinced his brother Robert to come back from the Pacific Northwest, where he was finishing up college. They learned the book business by first starting in the warehouse and then worked in another bookstore, Sec- ond Story Books, which sold used and out-of-print books. Richard says, “We

Arts and mother of two from Syosset. Her novel, “Devin Rhodes is Dead,” (© 2014, Charles Bridge Publishing) is a middle grade, supernatural mys- tery alternating with re- alistic fiction about com- plicated friendships. “It was such a well-run

THE DOLPHIN BOOKSTORE IN

PORT WASHINGTON. LEFT TO RIGHT:

VIVIAN MOY, JUDITH MITZNER, OWNER,

AND LAURA KAVANAGH.

event,” says Kam. “the Book Revue is supportive of local authors and made it very easy for me.” Hipster Vibe Long Island author Carol Hoenig, (www.carolhoenig.com) whose latest book “Of Little Faith,” (Steel Cut Press) is slated for 2015 publication, knows that this is the best time to open a bookstore. As a former Borders Na- tional Events Coordinator at the Park Avenue Manhattan location, Hoenig met and formed a business partnership with Peggy Zieran, for- mer manager of the Syosset Borders. They’ve selected Rockville Center as the site for their new indie bookstore, Turn of the Corkscrew, and are gaining grassroots backing through an Indiegogo fund-raising campaign. “We envision a major community center where we will offer wine and beer and literature and a place for the community to stop by and enjoy books, ” says Hoenig. “We want younger people to feel that books can be exciting.” They won’t only focus on the bestseller list, Hoenig says, but instead will highlight mid-list and local authors. The Rockville Center Book- store Turn of the Corkscrew is scheduled to open this spring. www.turnofthecorkscrew.com Mary Ellen Walsh, from Syosset, is an award- winning journalist and fiction writer who teaches creative writing at various universities in the New York area. *

got to thinking about opening our own store.” “I said the only way I’d come back to Long Is- land is if it were to a town I could live in. I always liked Huntington. And he did it. Richard found this place and we opened a bookstore with John Teague,” says Robert. “We started with 3,000 square feet and four plywood tables. We learned by trial and error.” The store is now 17,000 square feet, including the upstairs bay. The secret to their success, the brothers say, is flexibility and willingness to try new things. The Kleins branched out and learned how to buy vin- tage books and collectibles, selling used and new books side-by-side. They don’t just want to be known as the bookstore that throws great book signings, but they have had an impressive clientele, starting first with Alan Dershowitz’s “Chutzpah” in the early ‘90s. Since then, the Book Review has had authors such as Pete Hamill, Lauren Bacall,Whoo- pi Goldberg, Neil Simon, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, andNelsonDeMille, to name a few.With a list like a Who’s Who, it’s their patrons and the town of Huntington they feel most connected to. “Huntington is a great place for a bookstore. It is a true town, not just strip malls. The peo- ple are diverse and love books,” says Robert. Author Jennifer Wolf Kam was thrilled to have had her book launch at Huntington’s Book Revue in October. “My friend even made an interesting cake for the event,” explains Kam, a 2007 graduate of Vermont College of Fine

what they want makes a huge difference. “The people of a town have to want to have a bookstore in their community,” Spektor says. “It’s a conscious choice to make.” BookHampton’s staff, including longtime book- seller Chris Avena, and newDetroit transplant Kim Lombardini, are committed professionals who know books. They say it’s a family at BookHamp- ton and there is never a dull moment in the store. “M,” a Maine Coon cat, wanders around the aisles or is often perched on the counter as patrons shop. “The first thing I ask a new customer is— what was the last book you read? Then, I can get an idea who this person is and where their interests are,” says Avena. “I tell them to come back to discuss the book, and they do.” BookHampton’s booksellers often help east- enders and vacationers build personal libraries in their homes. They also created “Your Own” book program identifying and donating books to schools in need. “It’s my favorite bookstore. I read whatever Charline recommends,” says Bunny Dell, long- time patron of BookHampton in East Hampton, who picked up the latest Richard Ford novel, “Let Me Be FrankWith You,” during fall shopping. BookHampton supports many book groups including the “Rowdy Hall” readers

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