independent bookstores
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Bookstore Privilege
Good literary citizens shop at local independent bookstores, and Amazon’s ongoing trade war with Hachette underscores the fragility of a marketplace dominated by a single online retailer. But are local bookstores just another form of privilege? Kelly Jensen writing at…
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So Long, Marcus Books
Sad news for San Francisco and the independent bookstore community: Marcus Books, the country’s oldest black bookstore, has been evicted. The store has been in its location in the Fillmore since 1960, serving as a meeting place for the city’s African…
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Can Beer Save Bookstores?
Independent booksellers face plenty of competition from national chains and the Internet, but a new kind of hybrid store might offer a model that Amazon can never replicate: bookstore bars. Niamh Ni Mahoileoin writes over at ZY that successful bar-bookstores…
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The Tale of Two Community Bookstores
Brooklyn has two independent Community bookstores—Park Slope’s Community Bookstore and Cobble Hill’s The Community Bookstore. John Scioli, owner of the latter, tells MobyLives that he founded the original with his ex-wife before they split. Scioli goes on to talk about…
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Amazon Guilt
We’ve all felt a little bit guilty saving a few pennies buying from Amazon rather than our neighborhood independent bookseller. But what about Amazon employees—do they experience guilt when shopping at independent retailers rather than with their megastore employer? MobyLives…
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Oases in the Bookstore Desert
While many of Manhattan’s bookstores are closing shop or fleeing to outer boroughs, a few continue to thrive in the “bookstore desert.” New York Magazine takes a look at how six independent bookstores throughout New York City are making it work.
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Keep It Lit
The oldest independent black bookstore in the country, San Francisco’s Marcus Books, is in danger of closing. But if the owners can raise $2.6M, the San Francisco Community Land Trust will buy the building and allow the shop to remain as…
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Notable Los Angeles 3/17–3/23
Monday 3/17: Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Chris Pavone discusses and signs The Accident. 7:00 p.m. at Vroman’s Bookstore. Tuesday 3/18: Eve & Leonora Epstein present and sign X vs. y: A Culture War, a Love Story. 7:00 p.m. at Book…
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Independent Bookstores Might Just Make It After All
Rumors of independent bookstores’ demise may be at least somewhat exaggerated. On the day before Christmas, New York’s iconic Strand Book Store tweeted that it just had the “best sales day in the history of 86 years at the store”!…
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Independent Bookstore Campaign
The “40K in 40 days” campaign is raising money to open La Casa Azul Bookstore in East Harlem. Contribute before October 24th, and every dollar invested will be matched by a donor. “La Casa Azul Bookstore will sell new &…
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Monetary Support for Indie Bookstores
Anybody who appreciates the community value of their local independent bookstore knows about the monetary pressure imposed by Amazon and internet-based competitors. So if you really appreciate the value of independent booksellers and the literary community it supports, why shouldn’t…
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The Rumpus Sunday Book Blog Roundup
The author of the forthcoming My Life with the Lincolns asks what happens when you type Abraham Lincoln into Etsy. The answer is pretty awesome. Anyone interested in fiction and the Internet should read this now. Sappho and banjos! (via Bookslut) “Why…