PM Press, an independent book publisher specializing in radical literature, has purchased Autumn Leaves bookstore in Ithaca, N.Y., and plans to start offering more new books along with the shop’s extensive used book inventory, the Ithaca Voice reported. In addition, Angry Mom Records, which has long been housed in the basement, will occupy the second floor of the building.
PM Press founder Ramsey Kanaan said the strategy with Autumn Leaves is to augment what the store already does well: “Fundamentally, we’re enhancing and improving on what’s already here rather than there being a radical–pun intended–shift in the contents.”
Liz Kitney, a book buyer who has worked at Autumn Leaves for more than a decade, plans to continue her role under PM Press’s management, curating what she calls a “discovery element…. People want the book they’ve been looking for to appear before them and they didn’t even know what they were looking for.”
Besides carrying more new books alongside used books, PM Press plans to stock more scholarly literature in sections like history and philosophy and PM Press titles. “While Kanaan said that the publishing company doesn’t try to ‘hide our politics,’ he added that a good bookstore, and good politics, should be a place where the open exchange of ideas is facilitated,” the Ithaca Voice wrote.
“The logic of good politics is to be as encouraging and as inclusive as possible,” said Kanaan. “We do not want to put people off, by saying, ‘I don’t agree with you, so bugger off.’ Autumn Leaves is a fantastic used bookstore. It will remain a fantastic general used bookstore.”
