Litwit Lounge discussion

~from Local Bookstores Defy Odds

TAMPA, Fl. - First Borders bookstore shut its doors. Now Barnes and Noble will be closing a third of its stores. Is the brick-and-mortar bookstore becoming a relic?

In spite of the rise in popularity of the iPad and Kindle and in spite of the behemoth Amazon.com, there are a few bookstores that are enduring. In South Tampa, tiny Inkwood Books is a haven for book lovers. Here you can always find a hand-picked selection of reads, and cookies on the table.

“We’re a great store. We’ve been here 21 years, we specialize in finding the best book for the person,” said employee Amanda Hurley. “We love nothing more than to put the right book in your hands. We all read like crazy so we know the store really well.”

That may be what distinguishes Inkwood from the diminishing big box bookstores. Drop by a few times, and share your interests, and the staff at Inkwood is likely to remember your preferences and look out for reads you’ll appreciate. That’s not something you’ll find on Amazon.com.

On the other side of the Bay, Haslam’s Books in St. Petersburg has its own magic working. Now in it’s fourth generation of family ownership, Haslam’s has been open since 1933. Today, they take up three-quarters of a city block. Inside you’ll find both new and used books, even rare and valuable volumes.

Co-owner Ray Hinst says there is serendipity to be found in browsing through a bookstore that you can’t get online.

“Its easy to browse, new stuff comes in every day, so you don’t know what you’re going to find on a day to day basis,” said Hinst.

But Haslam’s has more going for it than just tradition and selection. There’s a rich history here, and some say, a touch of the supernatural. Beatnik writer Jack Kerouac was a St. Pete resident in his golden years, and was a frequent visitor to Haslam’s.

“Authors like to have their things at eye level. So Kerouac would move his books from the low shelf to the upper shelves where they were easily accessible to his possible readers. “That used to throw our inventory off,” said Hinst.

In fact, some believe the ghost of Jack Kerouac still hangs around Haslam’s. We can’t speculate on that, but here is no doubt, a rich and colorful history inside this large and friendly bookstore.

Here in the Bluefields, our local home-owned bookstore is Hearthside Books, run by two ladies who are avid readers themselves. They carry a great selection of new books (with a sideline of used ones), and they've always been able to special order any item I've wanted. It's a perfect place to browse. And one fact that's of special interest to writers: unlike the big chains, Hearthside and small stores like it are open to carrying books by small press and independent authors.

It's impossible to predict the future; the one thing that's certain is that the Internet revolution and the shift from a generally prosperous to a generally depressed economy will bring great change to the book trade. But what I hope --with, I think, good reason!-- will happen is that on both the production and the retail ends, the giant corporations that have ruled the earth like the dinosaurs once did (and whose influence, IMO, has been more harmful than good) will go extinct, and free the scene for the small presses and home-owned bookstores to thrive and flourish. (Like the mammals, they're smarter, warmer blooded, and much more cuddly. :-) )

Thanks for the little ray of hope.

In my area, it seems that used bookstores are now on the rise (as well as the used-book shop within the library and book sections in thrift stores have become larger). As for my e-reader, I use it mostly as a tablet... only reading a book on it if I can't get my hands on a 'real' book.

Just came from a used bookshop in the next town... it was packed -- with books and people. The thing that surprises me at the library is there are two rooms completed turned into books-for-sale. I'm glad that the library has some more revenue BUT there seems to be less and less books on the shelves in the library. Since when is it hard to get a copy of an old classic like Wuthering Heights? I've been on a waiting list for weeks and live in an area with a population of 4 million. Something is not right -- or am I becoming paranoid? Too much Fahrenheit 451? :-p

I love the feel of a book worn from reading. I wish we had more used bookstores in my area. Especially if there were reading areas.

From the perspective of many bookstore owners, the problem with reading areas is the same problem they have with customers just picking up the books from the shelf and reading them in the aisles: unlike libraries, the stores exist to actually sell the books, not just to enable people to read them. And if people read them without buying, the stores don't make any money. (That's the same reason why grocery stores don't have eating areas set up, where you can bring food from the shelves and have a meal.) That said, I'd enjoy reading areas in bookstores as much as Mollie and Charly would! (Of course, then it would be even harder to pry me out of the store....)

I used to knit at a yarn store. Sometimes, I had not purchased the yarn there. However, other knitters and visitors to the shop noticed and often did buy yarn in order to knit a similar piece.

If I see someone reading at a bookstore, I feel like I am in the presence of a kindred spirit. And become curious about what is being read. A discovery, a new purchase is a possibility...all because of a reading area.

True, Mollie --which is one reason why some bookstore owners don't feel the way I described in my previous post. Another reason is that people who start reading a book on site might want to purchase it if they don't have time to finish; and then too, a reading area makes a for a homier and more welcoming atmosphere. I've heard of bookstores that offer reading areas, though I don't believe I've ever shopped or window-shopped in one that did. (I might have, though, and just not happened to notice it!)

Another factor that no doubt keeps a lot of the smaller bookstores from offering a reading area is the logistics of available space. Hearthside Books in Bluefield, WV, the store I mentioned in message 2, isn't cramped for space as such; but it definitely has space limits, and the owners mostly use the space they have for books. Incorporating a reading area wouldn't be easy, if it were even possible. This is probably a fairly typical situation.

As a way of introducing myself to this group, I spent my preschool years sitting on the hardwood floors of my aunt's bookstore. It was called the Little House of Books. She served coffee and tea to her customers. She sold and rented books. A former librarian, she loved books. As a gregarious person, she loved conversation.

I believe this is wound into my DNA...

Thanks. It brought brighter colors to my world.

Yes, a wonderful store, Mollie, as well as what a wonderful way to grow up! I remember going to the grocery store with my mother... and sitting on the floor by the little magazine/coloring books (back when it was safer to leave a child unattended for a bit)... was so hungry for words that I actually read the coloring books!

What a wonderful world opened up to me when I was introduced to the public libraries! Think Mom was surprised those first few visits as I insisted on leaving with a stack of books rather than just one or two.

So there is more to coloring books than learning to color inside the lines...or not.

Nice, Charly.

A smile for more than one reason. My writers' group has suggested that I look into becoming an illustrator of children's coloring books....

As a child, I read the coloring books and as an adult, I've been caught coloring them, oops! ;-)

Good luck with that new venture, Mollie! :-)

As a child, I used to enjoy coloring in color books, and enjoyed coloring with my daughters, too, as they were growing up. Now that my grandkids are at that age, I sometimes have fun coloring with them as well. Interacting with the younger generation(s) gives us young-at-heart adults a good excuse.... :-)

Thanks, Reggia.

Coloring is such an immediate pleasure...

I've mentioned this before on our group's Questions and Tidbits thread; but back in 2011, a lady on Goodreads, who was concerned about the need to support physical bookstores in order to keep them open and preserve all the benefits they provide, challenged the rest of us to buy at least two books (new ones, not used) per year from a brick-and-mortar store. I've met that challenge every year from 2011 on, and I've met it for 2016, having already bought two books so far (as presents for my wife). Maybe some others would be interested in taking up this challenge as well?

Charly wrote: "Have been doing it for years and certainly since 2011. I love giving books as gifts thus extending the challenge."

That's great to hear, Charly! Yes, book purchases count whether they're for yourself or for someone else; and books make wonderful gifts.

With eighteen grandchildren I seem to be at Barnes and Noble every other week so in spite of my Kindle I am supporting them.

Good for you, Nina!

Yesterday I mentioned getting books from B. & N for my grandchildren but I also get them for my great grandchildren. So I might be there most treasured customer/I also give my priest friend a gift card from them.

I've definitely met the challenge of buying at least 2 new books per year from a brick-and-mortar store!
What I don't understand about people who shop only online is how they browse. I like being able to walk along the shelves, pick up something and look at it. I don't mean read the whole thing there--as Werner said, stores are there to sell things--but just get a taste of it. I've bought many things I didn't even know existed before I saw them sitting on a shelf.

Good point, Nicole! Interestingly, Amazon has the gall to encourage people to do their browsing in physical bookstores, leave without buying anything, and then order the books that interested them through Amazon. :-( (Personally, I advise people to do the opposite: make use of Amazon's very comprehensive database to check on whether books they're interested in are in print, what the list price and ISBN is, etc., and then ask their local bookstore to special order them from a regular wholesaler. That works well for me, since most of the books I buy are by indie or small-press authors and have to be special ordered.

Good points, Werner!

I think I do buy a few new books each year, but will now be sure to do it purposefully. I like being able to touch and leaf through a book first, have the gratification of bringing it home immediately as well as just enjoy hanging out in a bookstore. I only wish I lived closer as I once did.

Here's an interesting and encouraging article on independent bookstores, from a blog called the Passive Voice, which one of my Goodreads friends regularly reads: http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2016/0... .

Interesting article... The "new model" bookstore still sounds a bit like B&N, albeit smaller. Perhaps bookstores should have an official book to be touched, perused, leafed through and copies to buy that are untouched. I have grown accustomed to this coffeeshop, community-feel of a bookstore, though, and don't want to lose that.

Scrolling back to to Nicole's comment, being able to touch and look through books has also had me buying titles that weren't even on my list. I'm almost never tempted to do so online -- definitely part of the experience for me.

This past Monday, I was saddened to learn that the local bookstore, Hearthside Books, will be closing its doors for good on Feb. 18. :-( I've shopped there since at least 2004 (they were the only bookstore I could find, besides Bluefield College's, that was willing to carry my book!). According to the newspaper article, they just didn't have enough business to sustain the store, so it's a graphic reminder of how important it is to support bookstores while we have them. (Now, I'll have to go further afield to find one to support.)

Charly wrote: "Sorry to hear that. On the other side there was just an article in this morning's paper indicating that Amazon is now going to apply our state's sales tax. That may help level the playing field a b..."

That's a long-overdue move, Charly, on several counts, and good news as far as it goes. The price difference it would make on the average individual book purchases, though, probably wouldn't be great enough to level the playing field much; the effect of Amazon's economies of scale is the paramount factor there. Something that would make more difference would be outlawing differential wholesale rates (cheaper for big purchasers, higher for small ones) in interstate commerce. But for now, Big Business has the political clout to keep that from happening. :-(

Sorry to hear as well... you both made some interesting points; still trying to be hopeful that bookstores stay. But at this point, I'm also concerned about the libraries. The rows and rows of computers take up as much room as the bookshelves.

I have to confess that I'm not as knowledgeable about public library trends as I once was. Having been employed in a college library for over 24 years, that's usually where I get access to books that I don't own; and I don't very often visit the public libraries around here.

At the public library in Harrisonburg, VA (a city with, I'd say, about 50,00-60.000 people, so fair-sized and abreast of current technology), though, which I visit a few times a year, the public computers don't occupy anything approaching the amount of space that the bookshelves do. And my impression is that they're not used nearly as much in the last few years as they used to be --I use them sometimes to check my e-mail, and I don't have a waiting time any more, as I used to. (I've theorized that this may be because more people now have laptops and i-pads.)

That's true here, too, Charley. I'm not against that idea at all, but the shelving has truly become sparse at the library. I wonder if I can sneak a picture next time I'm in there...

Oh you! Lol... ;)

The closing of our local home-owned bookstore earlier this year made it harder for me to fulfill my goal of supporting a brick-and-mortar store this time around. But there's a chain bookstore in the Mercer Mall (located out in the country, between Bluefield WV and Princeton, the county seat), and this weekend, I finally got out there for some shopping. I fulfilled my two-book purchase commitment (for myself, this time!), and was pleased to see that the store was pretty busy with shoppers.

My bookstore-supporting challenge really had to wait until nearly the last minute this year; but I fulfilled it this morning, again at the bookstore in the mall. I was glad to see that once again, they were doing a brisk business!

That's good to hear, Charly!

Bookstore gift cards are always cool to get, Charly! Happy birthday (belatedly), and congratulations on your windfall.

Good to hear they're doing well... and I like your idea to have a purchase commitment! :-)

Once again, I've recently met the challenge to support brick-and-mortar bookstores by buying at least two brand-new books a year in one! This year, I didn't leave it until the last days of December. :-)

Werner wrote: "Once again, I've recently met the challenge to support brick-and-mortar bookstores by buying at least two brand-new books a year in one! This year, I didn't leave it until the last days of December..."

That's a laudable thought! I should also do that. I guess if they do not carry the particular book I want, and if I request them to place an online order for me using their online system for me to pick up from their store, that also counts as support to brick-and-mortar bookstore, right?

Yes, Li, it certainly does! Many (probably most) bookstores will place special orders for out-of-stock titles if a customer requests it. Our local home-owned bookstore here in the Bluefields, Hearthside Books (which, sadly, closed a few years ago), used to do that frequently for me.

Cheers to supporting our "brick-and-mortar" bookstores!

Thanks, Reggia!

I'm glad to say that I've once again fulfilled the challenge to buy at least two books a year from a physical bookstore! Though this year, as we've come down to the last week of December, it was, as some British Goodreaders might say, a bit of a close-run thing. :-)

Since I've accumulated so many piles of unread physical books by now, which are greatly backlogged, and I'm running short on space to put books, I decided not to buy books for myself to fulfill the challenge this year. So instead, I bought two books to donate to the Bluefield University library, where I work. (Barb and I also bought several books as Christmas gifts for family members; so the clerks at our local bookstore were probably pretty glad to see us coming. :-) )

In most years, I wind up waiting until very late in the year (and sometimes after Christmas!) to complete this challenge. This year, though, I've been much more on the ball; I picked up two books for myself at the bookstore in our local mall over the weekend. So, I've fulfilled the challenge for another year; and I hope others in the group will be able to join me before the year is out!

Does it count if they're from the discounted displays? I'm definitely buying those new, but rarely a full-price book. Trying to remember what I've gotten this year so far...

Reggia wrote: "Does it count if they're from the discounted displays? I'm definitely buying those new, but rarely a full-price book. Trying to remember what I've gotten this year so far..."

Reggia, I would think that discounted books should count! The idea of the challenge is that you spend something on new books in a physical bookstore, whether they're expensive or inexpensive. No dollar amount is specified, and different people will spend different amounts from year to year, depending on their wants and circumstances. The important thing is that bookstores get whatever amount of money is spent, not the exact amount that they get.