Editor, Gazette-Journal:

As a local author who reads a lot of fiction and non-fiction, I’m very grateful for the presence in our community of Random Words, the independent bookstore in White Marsh Shopping Center. Co-owners Kevin and Myra Moore make customers and visitors feel welcome, offer a great selection of books for all budgets, and will order books from your wish list if they are not already in the store.

More than just a place to sell books, Random Words offers a gathering place in ways that online bookselling sites never can. Comfortable chairs invite us to read a while in the store. Local authors’ works are often featured. There’s a weekly story time for young children and a monthly book club meeting for adults.

But small family-owned businesses only succeed when we support them. On Sept. 19, the store will celebrate its six-month anniversary. This is a great opportunity to browse and buy, just as the cooler, crisper days, and soon the holidays, invite us to read mo...