Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Boswell Book Company

Bookstore: Boswell Book Company

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Why I Love Them: Back in 2009 when Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops announced they were closing after 82 years many people saw it as the end of an era. I viewed it as an opportunity to get as many books as I could at a discount, hitting up the two locations that were closing in one day. I was actually a little sad that the flagship store on Downer Avenue wasn't liquidating as well... I have since been very glad they didn't. Daniel Goldin who was the general manager of Schwartz bought the Downer Avenue location and inspired by the old Boswell logo for Schwartz renamed the store Boswell Book Company. Next year it will be ten years since the birth of Boswell and the store run by the charismatic if slightly daffy Daniel. He has steered his store through lean times in the book industry and has taken the initiative to bring in authors not just to the store, but to venues throughout the Milwaukee area, as well as local schools. The store's vibe is that of the best in independent bookstores, shelves crammed with books with employee recommendations that you'd never have heard of and are soon to become favorites. Knick-knacks for the literary inclined cover almost every surface. And if you get to an event early you might be lucky enough to sit on one of the coveted couches or upholstered chairs. You will never realize how bad folding chairs at other book signings are until you experience a signing in the lap of luxury. In fact there's an event I'm hoping to go to at Boswell tomorrow, better make sure to get there early!     

Best Buy: While I have had many wonderful buys from different events at Boswell Book Company over the years I have decided to go with an author who not only had an amazing presentation but also was unbelievably personable in the signing line. It's rare that this combination happens with an author, sometimes they just can't handle talking in front of a group or are fine talking in front of people but are rather rude one-on-one, I've had a whole gamut of experiences from the nerve-wracking to the downright bizarre, and I will say that Boswell did win on the bizarre front! But that's a story for another time. Today I want to talk about how awesome Tony DiTerlizzi is. He's an amazing artist, illustrator, and writer. He captures in his work the sensibilities of the golden age of illustration but coupled with the magic of someone raised on a diet of Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons. But why mention Star Wars? Because in his wonderful and hilarious PowerPoint (he was prepared enough to have a PowerPoint!) he mentioned what a geek he was and how Star Wars really formed him. What impressed me most though was that my friend Janice, who is uber talented and makes these amazing felt creations, was coerced by me to bring one for him. He was over the moon. He thrust his phone at me and asked if I could take a picture with him and Janice, which I did gladly, he then even did an amazing drawing in her book. If that doesn't say class act I don't know what does? Best buy, 100%.   

0 comments:

Newer Post Older Post Home