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…
Posts by tag
independent bookstores
312 posts
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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…
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…
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…