Kramer Books

After Politics and Prose, the most well known indie bookstore in DC is definitely Karmer Books. Located in DuPont Circle, the shop is known equally for its book selection and its famous Afterwords Cafe. I had some time to kill this weekend and decided to pay a visit to Kramer Books to see how they're doing. Before stopping in, I checked out their website to see how they're using the internet and social media to connect with their patrons.

The bookstore is not very large, and always busy. I snapped picture, which you can see to the right. They have a great selection and ambiance.

The website is pretty rudimentary. The staff does a good job, however, of keeping the store's social media websites updated. They have a Facebook page, and a Twitter which is actually for their successful cafe. It seems much of Kramer's revenue comes from the business they generate through their cafe. They frequently update menu items and feature live music weekly. Thus, Kramer's provides me with my first example of a bookstore whose business model is mostly dependent on their cafe/restaurant.

Quick Update: the Espresso Book Machine and NYC

Once again, the week has gotten away from me. I thought finally being home for a weekend might give me a chance to plan ahead a bit and prepare a few new posts. Instead, it meant running around doing errands I often go weeks without completing. Still, I did get a chance to stop by Politics and Prose, my favorite local indie bookstore. They have a new Espresso Book Machine (see image right)! I didn't get to see it in action, but these machines have great potential for indie bookstores. It gives them access to thousands of titles they may not have shelf space for, or that have been blacklisted. It also allows them to stock more books by indie presses and self-published authors. I'm hoping one of these days I'll get to catch the machine while its printing.

In other personal news, my job is sending me to New York City for the weekend, and I'm very

excited about doing a quick little bookstore tour. I have already been to Strand, and I'm certain I want to visit St. Marks. However, NYC is a major indie bookstore hub, and I know there are many more shops I need to visit. McNally Jackson is on the list, but I'm open to suggestions! I'm interested in seeing how some of the more niche stores operate (i.e., rare books, comic books, used shops, etc.), and would love to hear about any that are doing a particularly great job adjusting to the digital age.

Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

I've been very MIA this week; with midterms and papers due, not to mention a crazy pickup at my job, I haven't really had too much time to devote to the blog. That said, I've been doing a lot thinking about indie bookstores. Especially with the big news that rent for St. Mark's Bookshop will not be reduced. I'll be in New York next week, and definitely plan to stop by since I've never been before and may never get to go again.

Still, things are not all bad for the indie bookstores of America. Brookline Booksmith (pictured left) in Boston will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary all next week.

Paid Content also ran a great article today about the rise of indie e-bookstores.

Although things have been a little insane, I have great ambitions for this blog next week. I want to talk about the Kramer Books in DC, discuss fixed book prices in other parts of the world, and plan a mini-bookstore tour for New York.

The Nonprofit Business Model

As I was reading a book of my choice for class (Chad Post's The Three Percent Problem), I came across an indie bookselling business model I have not yet explored: independent bookstores as nonprofits. In the face of numerous bookstore closures, some stores are declaring 501(c)(3) status. In this way, passionate booksellers can continue to share their love of books, but exist as a tax exempt organization. At the heart of successful nonprofit bookstores, is a solid, well articulated mission (i.e., not simply to "stay in business"). I did some browsing and came across several well established nonprofit book shops and have copied their "missions" below.

Woodland Pattern Book Center (pictured here in an image from Express Milwaukee) is one example of a wildly successful bookstore operating as nonprofit. The website declares their mission clearly and concisely:

Our goals are to promote a lifetime practice of reading and writing, to provide a forum and resource center for writers/artists in our region, and to increase and diversify the audience for contemporary literature through innovative approaches to multi-arts programming.

Locally (at least for me!), Books for America in DuPont Circle sells a fraction of the books it receives as donations as a fundraising mechanism. The organization describes their mission as follows:

We build and improve libraries in Washington, DC area schools, shelters, prisons and more; we support reading programs; and we provide children in the Nation's Capital with their first take-home books!

I plan to check out their shop and provide a review within the next several weeks.

Politics & Prose in the Digital Age

Probably the best known independent bookstore in DC is Politics & Prose. I've actually been putting off writing about this place, as I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it justice. I absolutely love this bookstore, and am totally impressed by the extensive book selection and programming offered here.

Unlike the Tattered Cover, it's not the most aesthetically pleasing establishment. The carpeted floors are creaky and the furniture appears to be a curious mishmash of whatever the proprietors could find. Whenever I head to the back of the store, the fixtures seem to be in a slightly different place than the last time. In the basement rooms, the ceilings are low and the books aren't intuitively organized. There are two wooden dining room tables forced together awkwardly in the middle of the sale books.

Time has taught me, however, that there is beautiful method in the madness. A quick browsing of the event calendar reveals that there is some type of engagement literally EVERY DAY at Politics & Prose. This establishment truly takes advantage of it's location in the nation's capital. I went to event last month featuring a Pulitzer prize winning journalist and several field experts. It makes sense the fixtures change-- furniture is rearranged nightly to accommodate the crowds (yes, actual crowds, not five or ten elderly folks) who turn out for book events. Similarly, the large tables in the basement are reserved for book group meetings and other community events. The low ceilings are in the children's section, tiny patrons who are four feet or so from having the tops of their heads skimmed while browsing for books.

For awhile there was a rumor floating about that the store was closing. Fortunately this is very untrue, and in an effort to dispel such rumors, this page was added to the website. Here the previous owners state that they have sought to make "room for new ownership from a younger generation." It would appear that this approach has been effective. Like the Tattered Cover, Politics & Prose allows for visitors to their website to purchase ebooks through Google. They even have a portion of their website dedicated to advertising their "Ebook of the Wee

k." They have SEVEN different blogs on their webpage (which frankly could use a different, more convenient format), and can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Most exciting, however, is that Politics & Prose has an Android App for smartphones! This is the first time I've seen something like this. Droid users (like myself), can download the app have access to news about upcoming author events, book groups, directions to the store, and links to the website. From the Android Market, I see that the app has between 100 and 500 downloads. I plan to install it later today. For iPhone users, the Politics & Prose website indicated that a mobile app compatible with Apple products is "coming soon."

Death of Indie Bookstores?

Publishing news over the last several months has been filled with news stories about bookstores closing across the country. With the second largest commercial bookstore chain closing its doors for the last time in September, many people are growing concerned about the fate of brick-and-mortar booksellers. While I never enjoyed Borders stores myself, finding them poorly designed and too impersonal, I have watched with interest as other stores struggle to keep their doors open.

Last month, my Twitter feed exploded with stories about the imminent closing of St. Mark's Bookshop in NYC, a store that could no longer afford it's rising rent. On September 12th, the New Yorker ran an article titled Should we Fight to Save Indie Bookstores? For the first time, I began to feel truly concerned about the fate of bookstores across the country.

I grew up in a suburb of Seattle, which has for years been included in the list of the most well-read cities in the US. Many hours of my youth were spent browsing local bookstores, most notably the famed Elliott Bay Book Company, one of the largest and most successful independent bookstores in the country. As I grew older, I often found myself in the most convenient bookstores (typically the local Barnes and Noble) and I made little effort to seek out independent establishments. But I have always been drawn to them-- their

individuality, their homeyness, and the way they try to foster a supportive community of book lovers.

The book world is undeniably changing. Every week I hear more statistics about the transition to digital reading. This change, like most change for me, is both thrilling and a little scary. Independent bookstores will need to find ways to adapt to the new world of books if they hope to survive the decade.

Through this blog, I want to explore the ways independent bookstores are (or are not) adapting to the digital shift. I'm interested to see which stores will survive, what changes will be made to their business models, and how they will bridge the gap between digital books and the services they provide. Because I live in Washington, DC, many of the bookstores I will visit and follow are local. Still, as I have opportunities to see other shops, I will post about them and provide commentary on any major news items related to independent bookstores as they begin the transition.

The Elliott Bay Book Company (below), image from 5 Magazine