Joseph-Beth Booksellers

Joseph-Beth Booksellers is an independent bookseller with four stores in the United States. It formerly operated a total of seven under the Joseph-Beth name and two under the Davis-Kidd Booksellers name. The name "Joseph-Beth" derives from the middle names of its two founders, Neil and Mary Beth Van Uum. They opened their first store in Lexington, Kentucky in November 1986.

In 1989, they were recognized by the Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerce as the "1989 Small Business of the Year".[1]

In 1997, the company absorbed 4 Davis-Kidd Booksellers stores in Tennessee in Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, and Jackson.[2] The Nashville and Memphis locations remained open and continued to operate under the Davis-Kidd name.

On November 11, 2010 Joseph-Beth filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed the Davis-Kidd location in Nashville, as well Joseph-Beth locations in Pittsburgh, Charlotte, and one of the two locations in Northeast Ohio. In May 2011, the company and three of its stores were purchased by the Lexington, Kentucky store's landlord. The Fredericksburg, Virginia Joseph-Beth and the Memphis, Tennessee Davis-Kidd locations were initially sold to a liquidator. However, Joseph-Beth founder Neil Van Uum was able to purchase the Memphis location with the financial backing of the Memphis landlord from the liquidators and continues to operate the store as The Booksellers at Laurelwood, as the Davis-Kidd name was purchased in the bankruptcy auction. The remaining three Joseph-Beth locations—Lexington, Cincinnati and the Cleveland Clinic specialty store—remain in operation under the new owner.

On November 14, 2011 Joseph-Beth opened their fourth location at Crestview Town Center in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

References

  1. ↑ Daykin, Tom (1989-05-09). "One for the Books: Joseph-Beth Booksellers named 1989 Small Business of the Year". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. B5. Retrieved 2007-05-10.
  2. ↑ Lindeman, Teresa F. (2004-11-03). "Big 'small bookstore' to ignore chains, aim for niches". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2007-05-10.

External links

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