I love small indie book stores because they’re cozy and friendly and no two look alike. I love them because they allow for the communion and camaraderie of other book lovers that you can’t get with online shopping.
So I was pretty excited about this recent Washington Post article and wanted to share it as an update to my last post on local bookstores.
The death of big box book stores might not be such a bad thing after all, since The American Booksellers Association, national trade organization for independently owned bookstores, reports 100 new members in just the past six months.
Meg Smith, ABA spokesperson, says the growth “appears to be due to a number of factors — the demise of large bookstores; a general social identification with locally owned businesses, an offshoot of the ‘go-local’ movement in restaurants and grocery stores; and a number of store owners who have identified a small but viable market in their communities.
“The lesson in the decline of big stores, these owners say, is not that no one wants to buy books. It’s that the big stores were too big. They had overreached and, in trying to be all things to all readers, had lost a sense of intimacy that books and reading seem to thrive on.”
Still hoping that we’ll get a nice cozy book store in our area some day.
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Response to The death and rebirth of bookstores
Well that was such a hopeful article, thank you for the link to the washington post article! Fingers crossed that these wonderful independent local bookshops do thrive! Take care
x
Kitty: Yes, I was glad to find and share this hopeful note in the book world.
Hopefully, an indie bookstore in my area would house a cozy corner w/coffee for curling up and catching up with books and friends
Joanna: I love hearing what others would like in a local bookstore. Seems like coffee and a cozy nook are at the top of a lot of lists.
Thanks, Rahma. I believe in the small personal place to shop over the large warehouse. I love the place ‘where everybody knows your name’ and what kind of books you like to read. I like a place for children to act out there favorite books, as well as a cozy nook to share ideas about a good book you just read and others can give feedback.
Oh Malika, I love your ideal bookstore, especially ‘a place for children to act out their favorite books’. What a wonderful image that brings to mind. It reminds me of the children’s section of the Portland Library where they have a very small theatre for acting out children’s stories. And it’s named after none other than Beverly Cleary!