In my previous life, I studied the book market — so it’s been thrilling and fascinating to watch JoAnne Kohler build an independent bookstore here in Salem from the ground up.
And at a time when indie bookstores are out like the gout!
She’s taken a downtown space and made it a cultural center of sorts for Salem progressives, and has ensured that we always have a physical space to turn to when we need a meticulously stocked, hand-curated selection of contemporary fiction.
Ms. Kohler knows her stuff. She used to work for Borders, and was recommending The Help long before the mainstream media caught on.
But she ran into a stumbling block when the name of her bookstore, Tea Party Bookshop, became synonymous with — wait for it! — the exact opposite ideology her store generally supports (it has a New Age section as well as a large selection of Green books).
Um… time to rebrand!
Ms. Kohler stuck it out and braved the readers looking for Glenn Beck tomes for a while, but has decided to rename her store Tigress Books: Wildly Independent! Her new logo is out and replaces the previous one, which featured a clipper ship intended to invoke the spirit of American independence (and buying locally).
So don’t throw out your tea, cuddle up with a tiger.
Or read some Anais Nin.
Roar!
