Independent Bookstores- Under Attack
This article by Melissa Manlove of The Storyteller, an independent children's bookstore a few miles from our house, was published in the Contra Times on June 3, 2006.
INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES-UNDER ATTACK
by Melissa Manlove
I am imagining a world in which I can only buy food at Safeway. No neighborhood 7 -11 for convenience; no Whole Foods or Andronicos for high-quality products from around the world; no farmer's markets for really fresh, really local goods. Like most people in this community , I would find that prospect grim.
And in a week that saw two of the pillars of the Bay Area independent bookstore community announce store closings-Cody's to close their flagship store; A Clean, Well- Lighted Place for Books to close entirely-it's starting to look like just such a prospect for those who shop for books.
The things that independent bookstores offer the consumer: convenience, breadth of choices, really new, and really local books and authors; and the things that independent bookstores offer the community: local reinvestment of the money spent at those stores, community outreach programs, and community events; are scarce or non-existent at wholesalers like Costco and chain bookstores like Barnes & Noble. That's why it's smart to shop at independents. The passion, service, and knowledgability that independent bookstores offer-well, that's why people love them.
I know how much our independent bookstores are beloved. I hear the testimonials from people who come into The Storyteller every week. But many people seem not to realize that an independent bookstore's profit margins, even in good times, are very, very slim. That means that losing the sale of just one book to B&N or Amazon hurts us.
The newest books are frequently on independent bookstore shelves sooner than on chain bookstores'. This is because very large bookstores have more space to let new shipments sit around in, and fewer staff to unpack them. Fewer staff, too, means fewer people to help customers and provide recommendations, assuming the staff have even read the books. And independent bookstores, despite the fact that it is becoming harder and harder to stay in business, remain committed to the community .The Storyteller offers a summer reading program that-every year-loses us money. But we aren't doing it for the money. We keep the cost low and the benefits to customers high because we are here, we are in business, for the community. We are not some enormous conglomerate who cares more about the bottom line than about you. We are your bookstores.
We who live in the Bay Area have such a rich quality of life, and we have a history of appreciating that richness fervently, and of being willing to fight for it. Let this, then, be your call to arms. Independent bookstores around the country-and in your neighborhood- are going under. The loss of the sale of a book or two doesn't hurt the corporate booksellers. But it does hurt your independent bookstore. The chains may offer discounts, but every one of those savings comes at a price-one you may not want to pay.
Among independent booksellers, in recent years, the phrase most commonly heard is "flat is the new up." What that means is that as book prices rise, as our rent rises, as we must pay our staff more, sales have not risen. And that's if you're one of the lucky bookstores. Many independents are watching their profits dwindle away. The Storyteller is one of those bookstores for whom sales have thankfully remained flat. But we cannot continue like this. We are not on the brink of closing, but when I ask you to imagine a world without independent bookstores, I'm not talking about someday, and I'm not talking about ten years from now. I'm talking soon.
Most of our customers buy more than one book a month, from various sources. If they would buy just one more book a month at an independent bookstore instead of at chains and online sources, it would make a difference. If they were willing to spend all of their book money at independent bookstores, it would make a big difference.
In politics and religion we must raise our voices to be heard, but in commerce we must speak with our pocketbooks. And with the multitude of powerful voices that I know are alive in this community, I have no doubt that this tide can be turned. So raise your pocketbooks. Your independent bookstores are listening.
INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES-UNDER ATTACK
by Melissa Manlove
I am imagining a world in which I can only buy food at Safeway. No neighborhood 7 -11 for convenience; no Whole Foods or Andronicos for high-quality products from around the world; no farmer's markets for really fresh, really local goods. Like most people in this community , I would find that prospect grim.
And in a week that saw two of the pillars of the Bay Area independent bookstore community announce store closings-Cody's to close their flagship store; A Clean, Well- Lighted Place for Books to close entirely-it's starting to look like just such a prospect for those who shop for books.
The things that independent bookstores offer the consumer: convenience, breadth of choices, really new, and really local books and authors; and the things that independent bookstores offer the community: local reinvestment of the money spent at those stores, community outreach programs, and community events; are scarce or non-existent at wholesalers like Costco and chain bookstores like Barnes & Noble. That's why it's smart to shop at independents. The passion, service, and knowledgability that independent bookstores offer-well, that's why people love them.
I know how much our independent bookstores are beloved. I hear the testimonials from people who come into The Storyteller every week. But many people seem not to realize that an independent bookstore's profit margins, even in good times, are very, very slim. That means that losing the sale of just one book to B&N or Amazon hurts us.
The newest books are frequently on independent bookstore shelves sooner than on chain bookstores'. This is because very large bookstores have more space to let new shipments sit around in, and fewer staff to unpack them. Fewer staff, too, means fewer people to help customers and provide recommendations, assuming the staff have even read the books. And independent bookstores, despite the fact that it is becoming harder and harder to stay in business, remain committed to the community .The Storyteller offers a summer reading program that-every year-loses us money. But we aren't doing it for the money. We keep the cost low and the benefits to customers high because we are here, we are in business, for the community. We are not some enormous conglomerate who cares more about the bottom line than about you. We are your bookstores.
We who live in the Bay Area have such a rich quality of life, and we have a history of appreciating that richness fervently, and of being willing to fight for it. Let this, then, be your call to arms. Independent bookstores around the country-and in your neighborhood- are going under. The loss of the sale of a book or two doesn't hurt the corporate booksellers. But it does hurt your independent bookstore. The chains may offer discounts, but every one of those savings comes at a price-one you may not want to pay.
Among independent booksellers, in recent years, the phrase most commonly heard is "flat is the new up." What that means is that as book prices rise, as our rent rises, as we must pay our staff more, sales have not risen. And that's if you're one of the lucky bookstores. Many independents are watching their profits dwindle away. The Storyteller is one of those bookstores for whom sales have thankfully remained flat. But we cannot continue like this. We are not on the brink of closing, but when I ask you to imagine a world without independent bookstores, I'm not talking about someday, and I'm not talking about ten years from now. I'm talking soon.
Most of our customers buy more than one book a month, from various sources. If they would buy just one more book a month at an independent bookstore instead of at chains and online sources, it would make a difference. If they were willing to spend all of their book money at independent bookstores, it would make a big difference.
In politics and religion we must raise our voices to be heard, but in commerce we must speak with our pocketbooks. And with the multitude of powerful voices that I know are alive in this community, I have no doubt that this tide can be turned. So raise your pocketbooks. Your independent bookstores are listening.
posted by Renee at 10:40 AM
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