Bookstore

When John Waters' 1988 film Hair- spray first came out on video, a staff member at Lambda Rising bookstore bought a passel of aerosol hairspray cans at the drugstore across the street and asked the filmmaker to sign them. As a promotion, the shop gave an autographed can to every customer who purchased a video. Such antics helped spur loyalty among customers at the store, which sells gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender books as well as digital video discs, music, magazines, greeting cards and gifts.

After heavy lobbying by city officials, University of Maryland, Baltimore administrators have agreed to locate a college bookstore on the northeast corner of Baltimore and Paca streets, a move city boosters hope will continue to fuel the west side's revival. Ed Fishel, a spokesman for the university, confirmed that the decision, reached Monday, would locate a Barnes & Noble bookstore in the 400 block of W. Baltimore St. Fishel had no details of the agreement, which he said was reached through the president's office.

The 400 block of W. Baltimore St. is a sorry sight, and efforts to redevelop that stretch between the University of Maryland, Baltimore's stately law school and the classy revival of the Hippodrome Theatre have been unimpressive. But an agreement reached yesterday to relocate the UMB bookstore (under a Barnes & Noble banner) in a renovated building on the northeast corner offers great promise for an expanded, revitalized west side. It's been tough going to finalize this deal, but the agreement is an investment worth making because of the benefits both parties, the neighborhood and the city should enjoy.

It's just three storefronts now, just half a block with a jewelry/pawn shop, a carryout and a barber shop. But to city officials, this half a block in the 400 block of W. Baltimore St. is a critical piece for revitalization, a bridge between the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus to the west and the Hippodrome Theatre and Starbucks to the east. And so the city is pressing the university to put a planned student bookstore, to be managed by Barnes & Noble, at the northeast corner of Baltimore and Paca streets, a move officials hope will inject more energy and visibility to an area undergoing a slow transformation.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Ellicott City has announced the store's participation in the launch of "The Dangerous Boys Club" at the chain's stores across the country. Based on the book, The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden, The Dangerous Boys Club is designed to keep boys engaged in reading and constructive, hands-on activities. The club, recommended for ages 7 and older, will start at the Ellicott City bookstore at 2 p.m. Feb. 2. The theme for its first meeting will be "It's a Secret!"

One stopped shopping. Another ate weird things. A couple spent a lot of time around goats. A girl said yes to everyone who asked her out. A guy read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica. A family gave up toilet paper, television and toothpaste. All of these people not only did all of these eccentric things for one calendar year, each of them also found a publisher who thought their endeavor was so fascinating it ought to be recounted in a book. And they aren't the only ones. Ever since filmmaker Morgan Spurlock found fame, fortune and a serious potbelly by eating nothing but McDonald's for 30 days, tales of people's personal projects have crowded bookstore shelves.

Are you sitting down? The "bookstore Barcalounger" is missing. At the Barnes & Noble at the Power Plant in the Inner Harbor, the comfy chair that once sat across from the picture books is gone. So is the one in the Mystery section. Instead, two people sit forlornly on the carpet, open books in hand. Just a decade ago, the trend in the bookstore industry was to fit nooks and crannies with big chairs for browsing, which, it was hoped, would spur buying. The idea was to recast the bookstore as a community place or an extension of the home.

Last month, Carla Hayden, executive director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, traveled to Texas. A week later, she was off to Barcelona, Spain. Next spring, she plans to enjoy shopping in Paris. While Hayden would love to own a bookstore some day, she could just as easily open a stylish shoe store. Who says librarians are bookworms? Not us. 1 Wire-haired fox terrier "I love dogs and I love the terrier breeds. But I would have to have a dog walker during the day." 2 Personal chef "Someone who could do low-calorie food and great desserts.

The country's major book superstores, Borders and Barnes & Noble, are constantly competing for your business. And with good reason - in 2005, the two companies made more than $247 million in combined profits. Now it seems you can't pay for a mocha or a magazine at one of these stores without fielding an offer to join their member programs. But do they actually save you money? That depends. If you shop at Borders, do sign up for its rewards program, if only because it's free. If you want to actually reap its rewards, however, you must pay attention.

Nearly two years after adopting a zoning law regulating adult entertainment stores, Howard County officials have charged the Pack Shack adult bookstore in Ellicott City with three violations. The violation notice renews a nearly nine-year-old struggle in which the county has failed to force the store to move from a prominent spot on U.S. 40 across from the Normandy Shopping Center. The notice gives the store's operators until July 15 to correct the violations, but if history is any guide, the process could involve months, if not years, of legal appeals and hearings.