ANN ARBOR – Literati Bookstore just got a lot more love.
Publishers Weekly announced that the shop is one of five finalists for its 2019 Bookstore of the Year award.
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According to Publishers Weekly, the award goes to bookstores that have an "outsized impact on their communities."
The award has been given annually for more than two decades.
Opened by husband and wife Mike and Hilary Gustafson in 2013, Literati has made national headlines for its fresh concept, numerous author events and, most of all, the public typewriter in its basement. In 2018, Mike and designer Oliver Uberti published "Notes from a Public Typewriter," which features thoughtful notes, observations and stories left by anonymous visitors.
According to Literati's website, their expert employees help set them apart:
"Literati's staff hails from the greater Ann Arbor area, and many have extensive bookselling experience. Out of over 400+ applicants, we carefully selected the most passionate and experienced booksellers, people who have worked previously for both Borders and Shaman Drum and who are engaged and involved within the literary community."
The finalists for the Bookstore of the Year Award include:
- A Likely Story (Sykesville, Maryland)
- Classic Lines Bookstore (Pittsburgh)
- hello hello books (Rockland, Maine)
- Literati Bookstore (Ann Arbor)
- Watermark Books & Café (Wichita, Kansas)
The winner will be announced in March and will appear on May 13 in the BookExpo preview edition of Publishers Weekly magazine.
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