Hans Weyandt, left, and Tom Bielenberg are co-owners of Micawbers Books in St. Paul. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)
“A good local bookstore is like a good local bar, where everybody knows your name,” jokes Sue Zumberge, manager of St. Paul’s Common Good Books.
Zumberge is among managers and owners of Twin Cities-area independent bookstores surveyed by the Pioneer Press this month who are optimistic in this new year.
They want book lovers to know their stores are alive and well and were not affected by year-end closings of three used-book stores in Minneapolis and Anoka. They’re also fighting the misconceptions that brick-and-mortar independent bookstores are dead and print books are doomed.
Strong indie bookstores contributed to the Twin Cities’ rankings in Central Connecticut State University’s list of most literate cities. …read more
