In the 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, Meg Ryan loses the lovely little independent bookshop (“Little Shop Around the Corner”, an homage to the 1940 Ernst Lubitsch gem) she inherited from her mother and which she cherished. But she gets cute, multimillionaire mega-bookstore scion Tom Hanks and that makes for a happy ending. Sort of. For those of us who are not provided a very rich, attractive love interest in exchange for the closing of a favorite bookstore, life can be bitter indeed.
As large bookstore chains proliferated in the past couple of decades, local independent shops left the landscape because they couldn’t compete with the discount prices offered by the chains. Few foresaw the impact of Amazon (launched in 1994) and other internet booksellers that joined forces (or competed) with the chains. After Borders Books & Music (founded in 1971) – one of the world’s most expansive book retail chains — was taken over by equity investment buyers, then passed from one investment group to another without concern for books or the people who love them, it declared bankruptcy and closed in 2011.
In the past couple of years, I have seen the closing of one of the greatest independent bookstores – the legendary Bookman’s Alley in Evanston, Illinois – and two Borders stores in my area. Bookman’s Alley closed in July 2012, because owner Roger Carlson reluctantly retired after more than 3 decades of building a loyal clientele and awed admirers. Borders closed because its owners were really in the money business, not the book business.
Like many people, I look for the best prices on books I want to acquire. I buy them for a quarter a pop at my local library (comforting myself with the knowledge that my library gets the money), or at used book stores (helping staff there earn a living, I tell myself), or through Amazon and e-Bay (congratulating myself for being a thrifty shopper). I’m guilty as charged.
After once again watching Nora Ephron’s ode to romance, books and the Upper West Side of New York, I’ve decided Meg’s Little Shop Around the Corner – and all the little bookshops around the corners of our neighborhoods – are worth saving. I’ve committed to buying at least 6 books from my local independent bookstore every year. And hope it will continue to serve up the love of books I feel.
If you have a favorite independent book store, let me know about it – name, town/state/country – and what makes it special. I may post your reply in a future blog. In the mean time, please post a response with your favorite independent book store or just a comment.