Greetings & Readings

Infobox_Company
company_name = Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley
company_
company_type = Family business
foundation = Hunt Valley, Maryland, U.S.
location_city = 118 Shawan Road
Hunt Valley, MD, U.S.
location_country = U.S.
key_people = Steven Baum, President
Stephen Spund, Vice-President
num_employees = 125 (2008)
industry = Retail (Specialty)
homepage = http://www.greetingsandreadings.com

Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley is the largest independent bookstore in Baltimore and is a member of the American Booksellers Association. Currently operating in a single location, the store occupies convert|30000|sqft|m2 of retail and warehouse space on the second floor of the main Hunt Valley Towne Centre plaza, which is the final northbound destination of the Baltimore Light Rail.

History

Phyllis and Norton Baum founded the original Greetings & Readings in 1969 as a book and card shop occupying convert|1800|sqft|m2 [cite news |first=Nomi |last=Schwartz |title=Greetings & Readings: Books Plus an Array of Specialty Merchandise |url=http://news.bookweb.org/booksense/5636.html |publisher=American Booksellers Association |accessdate=2007-10-31] .

For 35 years, the store was located in Towson, Maryland, in the Loch Raven Plaza. After its closure, a new store was opened by Phyllis and Norton's son, Steven Baum; his wife Fran; his brother-in-law Stephen Spund and Spund's wife Amy. Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley opened in August 2005 in the newly rebuilt Hunt Valley Towne Centre with a convert|30000|sqft|m2|sing=on, second floor location along the plaza's Main Street.

The founder's son, Steven Baum, is president of the establishment. His brother-in-law Stephen Spund is vice-president. More than 125 workers are employed by Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley in various departments which include gifts and jewelry, a Wi-Fi-enabled café, a Hallmark Gold Crown card section, a Vera Bradley boutique and what the store claims is the largest independent bookstore in Baltimore, Maryland.

The store hosts frequent book signings and other events including kids' story time readings [cite news |first=Jessica |last=Novak |title=Meet Terple today in Hunt Valley |url=http://www.examiner.com/a-1294685~Meet_Terple_today_in_Hunt_Valley.html |publisher=Baltimore Examiner |accessdate=2008-03-22] .

Website

The Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley website, www.greetingsandreadings.com (or www.shopgandr.com) was relaunched in late 2007. The site is home to the store's event listings and an expanding e-commerce offering. Users can subscribe to the store's weekly e-mail newsletter to receive product and event updates and discounts.

Wi-Fi

Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley offers free Wi-Fi access in its café and book lounge areas. The service began with the opening of the store in August of 2005 and can be detected using any 802.11b-capable (or newer) wireless device, such as a laptop PC, PDA, or smart phone.

Community Involvement

Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley supports the efforts of the non-profit organization Literacy Works, Inc. which promotes increased literacy for adults in the Baltimore area [cite news |first=Bev Fine |last=Serpick |title=Successful Book Bash helps boost literacy services |url=http://www.communitytimes.com/print_this_story.asp?smenu=81&sdetail=5768 |publisher=Community Times |accessdate=2008-06-20] . Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley also partners with the HELPS (Health Educators Linking Parents and Students) Coalition and sponsors the Hunt Valley Kids Club which began in May 2007 [cite news |title=Hunt Valley Towne Centre Announces Monthly "Kids Club Days," Beginning May 5 |url=http://www.shophuntvalley.com/index.php?src=news&submenu=PressRomm&refno=23&category=News |publisher=Hunt Valley Towne Centre |accessdate=2007-04-26] .

References

External links

* [http://www.greetingsandreadings.com/ Greetings & Readings website]
* [http://www.shophuntvalley.com/ Hunt Valley Towne Centre website]