Alabama Booksmith
Alabama Booksmith, formerly Highland Booksmith, is a book store specializing in first editions and signed editions with an emphasis on Alabama authors. The store, now located at 2626 19th Place South in Homewood features frequent author readings and signings.
Highland Booksmith was founded on September 22, 1990 by Jake Reiss III as a seller of used and out-of-print books, and as an adjunct to his custom tailoring business, J. Reiss Custom Clothier.
The first location was in the ground floor of Highland Towers. In 1999 Reiss purchased the Homewood building and re-engineered the store to focus on new editions and author events. The grand-opening was on October 21, 1999.
In the 2010s, Reiss removed much of the shelving and turned the store's focus exclusively toward signed editions. Alabama Booksmith's "Signed First Editions Club" which ships monthly selections to members now makes up the largest portion of store revenues.
References
- Bishop, Lauren (September 26, 2003) "The Booksmith." Birmingham Business Journal
- Barrett, Brian (September 10, 2015) "This Adorable Alabama Bookstore Only Sells Signed Copies" Atlas Obscura - accessed September 10, 2015
External link
- Alabama Booksmith website