| Type | Family business |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Specialty) |
| Founded | Hunt Valley, Maryland, U.S. |
| Headquarters | 118 Shawan Road Hunt Valley, MD, U.S., U.S. |
| Key people | Steven Baum, President Stephen Spund, Vice-President |
| Employees | 125 (2008) |
| Website | http://www.greetingsandreadings.com |
Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley is the largest independent bookstore in Baltimore[1] and is a member of the American Booksellers Association.[2] Currently operating in a single location, the store occupies 30,000 square feet (2,800 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.
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Phyllis and Norton Baum founded the original Greetings & Readings in 1969 as a book and card shop occupying 1,800 square feet (170 m2).[3]
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 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2), 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.
In January, 2010, wedding technology company WeddingWire, selected Greetings & Readings of Hunt Valley to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for excellence in custom printing and personalized wedding invitation design.[4]
The store hosts frequent book signings and other events including kids' story time readings.[5]
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.[6] 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.[7]