The Wall Street Journal on Friday the 6th reported that Borders was going to close 200 of its Waldenbooks stores. True these are mall stores only, but it seems to me it was only yesterday that the chains were springing up every where. It appears that one of the reasons this is happening is that internet sales of books have greatly increased over the last several years taking buyers from the mall bookstores. The Journal also postulates that another reason for the move is the deep discounting of the bestselling books that has been announced.
My dream is that the closing of these mall stores might encourage one or two--or hopefully many more--entrepreneurial souls to open new independent bookstores. With the new readers that I hope are being created by books available electronically and by this deep discounting, perhaps there can be a big enough market to once again support these wonderful outlets for reading.
Do any of you have a favorite independent bookstore?
-Jane
Monday, November 09, 2009
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Most of my favorite independents sell mostly used books, with only a few new titles (and they're usually the huge bestsellers, a la Twilight). I am glad to see people being optimistic about the closing of these Waldenbooks stores, though. To be honest, I've never lived in a place with very many of them. We're pretty dominated by B&N and Borders (although not so much anymore), and I remember the occasional B. Dalton.
ReplyDeleteI'm an online shopper because I live on a tiny island in Canada. We have a used bookstore here and a tiny new one but if I want anything specific, I generally have to leave the island or order it. I can take the ferry, and my car, and go to Chapters, but the closest indie that I know about is around 30km away (plus the ferry ride). However, whenever we go to Victoria, we ALWAYS go to Munro's on Government Street. And not just because it's next door to the best tea & cake shop in Victoria (Murchies!). We love Munro's and try to buy a book there each time. My friend is the sales rep for Penguin Canada and her territory is all the indie bookstores on Vancouver Island & some in Vancouver (I think). She is kept busy with all her stores, so I think there are quite a few still out here. Lots of small towns without a need for a big chain store...and shipping is expensive and SLOW here too, so that's a bit of a deterrent to online book shopping. Go indies!
ReplyDeleteI make it a point to support all Indies when and where I find them. My favorite is Vromans in Pasadena, CA.
ReplyDeleteFULL CIRCLE in Oklahoma City, OK. Beautiful wood work through out, a large inventory, and coffee shop. Oh and excellent customer service.
ReplyDeleteI love your vision, Jane.
ReplyDeleteMe, I'm a bit attached to the Mystery Lover's Bookshop in Oakmont, PA. A wonderful, wonderful couple owns and runs the store. They're SO darn knowledgeable; talking to them is always an education.
I love Circle Books on St. Armand's Circle (Sarasota, FL). There's always something going on there, an author signing or a reading. They have a little bit of everything.
ReplyDeleteThe last indie shop within ten miles closed its doors two years ago.
ReplyDeleteOh, I am a huge fan of the Stately Raven bookstore in Findlay, Ohio. The building is a renovated church, so it's beautiful and inspiring, and the owner is very author-friendly. It's a terrific place to hang out for an hour or ten.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite independent bookstore is Copperfield's in Petaluma California. They have a wide selection of books, knowledgeable staff and they bring in a lot of my favorite authors.
ReplyDelete