Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

It's Friday once again. As always, I have been assembling a short list of the most pertinent pieces of industry news to share. This was, unfortunately, a pretty rough week for indie bookstores across America.

In Gainesville, FL, 20-year-old Books, Inc. announced that it will

be closing its doors at the beginning of 2012. I tried to find a website for this store to no avail (insert insensitive commentary here). In a similar vein, 15-year-old Sweet Briar used bookstore in Davis, CA will be closing permanently on Christmas Eve of this year. Again, no website.

RiverRun, an indie bookstore in New Hampshire (photo left is from the website), is now asking for donations from its patrons and community members in order to stay in business. According to the website, the bookstore needs to raise more than $100,000 by November 30th in order to eliminate their debt and rebuild relationships with publishers. The owner said today that more than $55,000 has already been raised. Interested parties can donate through the website.

Scanners Pop-Up Bookstore

Well, I'm back from my far too brief, but absolutely wonderful trip to the San Francisco Bay Area. I had the opportunity to visit two indie bookstores. I was especially excited to visit Scanners, a pop-up used bookstore currently occupying the Mina Dresden Gallery in the Mission district. With the help of a willing accomplice, I was able to get a few pictures both in and outside the shop/gallery.

Scanners is temporarily inhabiting this space, existing as both a bookstore and an art exhibit. Books were creatively arranged on walls and tables. Many of the books available were about art, architecture, film, and counterculture. There were a number of visitors moving in and out of Scanners while we were there, and the proprietors were setting up for an event to be held later that evening.

In the case of Scanners, there's no real business model to evaluate. The store is about art and, in my own interpretation, the art of literature and books. The exhibit spoke to me because I believe many people, especially those in the publishing business, tend to think of books as a commodity or a product. There are very few people who really consider the art of the book these days-- the content, the design, etc. I also think with box stores like Barnes and Noble, people forget about the art involved in creating an aesthetically pleasing or interesting bookshop.

I had the opportunity to chat briefly with the proprietor, who is a bookseller by trade. He said the store will be open only until the end of October, and it will not be popping up anywhere else. Therefore, I encourage those of you in the area to stop by Scanners and appreciate the project, attend an event, and perhaps purchase yourself a book.

I also had a chance to stop by The Booksmith, a great indie store filled with chalked walls and staff recommendations. I picked up a copy of The Book Thief for my book club there. The woman behind the counter was very friendly, and in addition to a great book selection, they had some pretty funny little cards available for purchase. The owners have written a number of articles for The Huffington Post about, among other things, their experiences running an indie bookstore.

Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

Bear with me as I try to write and post this on my phone. I'll be spending most of the day in transit, but I want to get this post out so I don't break tradition. So, without further ado, here are three big stories about indie bookselling in this week's news:

Yesterday metro media ran a great piece about the important role indies play in their communities.

On Wednesday, supportors of St. Marks Bookshop serenaded Cooper Union's president, pleading with him to save the store.

In today's New York Times, there is an article about WORD, a unique bookstore in Brooklyn that is all about building a community of book lovers.

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.

Caliban Book Shop Doesn't do Digital

As I mentioned last week, I spent this past weekend in Pittsburgh, working, enjoying time with my brother, and dodging hordes of Steelers fans. I also took a little time out yesterday to visit the Caliban Book Shop. And by "took a little time out," I mean hung around the general vicinity for two hours waiting excitedly for the store to open. This explains why the picture I took of the outside shows the store front with a "CLOSED" sign hanging in the door. I should have taken a picture after it opened, so you could see the great presentation they have out front. There are books and records and the door was propped wide open-- very welcoming.

This is a beautiful store. It smells like pages (I'm sure this is in part because they sell rare books) and it is organized for an academic. The sections are named like college majors-- sociology and psychology, biology and medicine. This makes sense, given the store is right between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Many of the patrons seems to be alums or grad students (I wasn't really getting the young, current student vibe). And make no mistake, there were many patrons. It's pretty clear this place does good business, and the man behind the counter was very knowledgeable. This is also a great store for gifts. I spent an inordinate amount of time picking through the children's section (which contained, among older editions of classics, J.K. Rowling's titles and the Twilight series), looking for first editions of some of my favorite childhood books. I also found a great 1936 first edition copy of a book I read in college, which impressed me.

I think used bookstores like Caliban have a difficult time with the whole digital marketplace. I walked all over the store and didn't see any reference to their website, or any mention of their fan page on Facebook. The shop seems to have a pretty loyal costumer base, but I am curious as to why they aren't making more of an effort to reach out to a younger audience through the internet. The shop is so conveniently located to market to a younger, indie crowd. And, based on their amusing Facebook status updates, I could see Caliban generating a decent Twitter following. The website would benefit from an update, with an enhanced search function, and perhaps a few examples of books that don't cost over $100 might encourage more people to stop by.

It's possible I'm being a little hard on this great book shop. Maybe some people think that used shops don't really have a place in a digital world. But then I think of Bookman's in Arizona and have to disagree. But, you say, Caliban and its peers offer an extensive rare selection. A fancy website isn't needed to sell rare books. To that I say: check out Bauman Rare Books. Now THAT is website.

I believe great used and rare bookstores like Caliban would benefit from cultivating an online presence and creating a navigable website because (not in spite) of their large existing fan base. The number of loyal patrons is a testament to the strength of their selection and knowledge of their staff. There is a whole community of book lovers out there waiting to see this shop. I say it's time to jump on the internet and show it off!

Friday: Indie Bookstores in the News

It's Friday folks! Per tradition, here is a roundup of the biggest indie bookstore related news from this week:

An ambitious bookseller has salvaged the remains of a Borders in San Francisco, creating his own store, ODE, in its place. The name is an economical re-purposing of the letters already plastered to the building. Read more in the New York Times.

In more San Francisco news, pop-up bookstores are apparently all the rage this month. The concept is much like that of pop-up restaurants; booksellers rent out a real, brick-and-mortar space for a month or so, then close up shop and move somewhere else. It's an interesting business model that I'll likely explore in a separate post.

The New York Times had an interesting profile on Sarah McNally, owner of McNally Jackson Books in New York. In the article, McNally talks about running her store, acquiring the only Espresso Book Machine in NYC, and, of course, her love a books.

The Espresso Book Machine

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."

Bookstore Tourism

In the past, I've found good bookstores either through recommendation, or simply by stumbling upon them on one of my daily walks. This works well for cities where I've either spent a great deal of time, or have book-loving friends and family available for suggestions.

In my travels, I've begun to seek out stores that might offer satisfying book-browsing, purchasing, and chai-tea-sipping experiences. Since I'm often in places I've never been (Mt. Vernon, Arkansas?) nor encountered anyone

from (Elkton, Kentucky?), this has naturally involved a lot of Google searches. In this process, I have discovered that there's actually a whole movement of folks who do this regularly. And by "this" I mean "travel to places with the express purpose of patronizing independent bookstores." It is, apparently, called "Bookstore Tourism." The organizer shuttles people on a charted bus to various indie bookstores, handling the travel arrangements and presumably generating revenue for the bookstores.

At first I found it a little strange. Given my nature, travelling around with a bunch of other book-loving folks probably wouldn't be the most enjoyable experience. With a little more reflection though, I realized it is essentially what I do as an individual all the time. While I have not yet succumbed to the temptation of visiting a city with the exclusive intention to experience an independent bookstore, there is always some shop on my to-see list on any trip. I also have an unspoken (until now) rule to buy a book and something from the cafe as a way to show my support. In this way, the concept of Bookstore Tourism isn't so foreign at all. In fact, I would go so far as to encourage people to engage in Bookstore Tourism. You can find out more information by visiting the site and following the Bookstore Tourism Twitter account.

For people like me who often grumble during guided tours and try to leave any organized group activity several hours before its scheduled end, I recommend the IndieBound Store Finder. While it's of little importance to me to find indie clothing stores and coffee shops, the site has on more than one occasion helped me discover an excellent bookstore in an unfamiliar city.

The Tattered Cover tackles a digital marketplace

Two weekends ago, while travelling for work, I had the opportunity to visit an amazing independent bookstore, The Tattered Cover in Denver, Colorado. With wood floors, tall shelves, and a winding staircase, I felt almost as though I was in a forest as opposed to a bookstore. The different sections of the store felt like little explored caverns, especially upstairs where the lighting was dimmer. The numerous old couches, chairs, and lounging chaises felt like secret mossy patches where one could settle down with any number of reasonably priced books--some new, some used-- and get lost for hours. It is easy so see how such a whimsical establishment has maintained its popularity for the last 40 years.

This particularly seems to be thriving, even in the changing marketplace. After my visit (in which I purchased a new copy of The Hunger Games and a used copy of Reading Lolita in Tehran in remarkably good condition), I checked out their website to see if it might provide some insight into their continuing success. In addition to many of the standard information (i.e., promotion of book clubs, author events, and bookstore memberships), I found a number of features hinting that the Tattered Cover has its eye on the horizon.

For example, the bookstore apparently provides a service in which students may rent textbooks for a fraction of the list price. This is an impressive tactical approach considering textbooks, which are often large reference books filled with visual data, may be some of the last which will experience full electronic conversion. Even more interesting, the Tattered Cover homepage boldly advertises that they have partnered with Google, providing their customers with "the most flexible way to buy eBooks." Tattered Cover patrons can search the Google ebook library without ever leaving the bookstore's website.

Being receptive to the growing digital market while still meeting the demands of traditional book buyers puts the Tattered Cover in an excellent position to continue to profit. Additionally, I encourage you to follow the store on Twitter and Facebook, or through their blog, Between the Covers.

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