Book Matters: Is there a future for traditional bookstores?

SALT LAKE CITY -- There is something about walking into a quaint, local bookstore: books in every nook and cranny, the welcoming smiles of booksellers, eager to help put the right book in your hands and that smell — the wonderful smell of pages and words. Bookstores have always been one of my favorite places. I seek them out wherever I go; I look forward to regular visits.

Despite my love of these stores, I didn't fully grasp their importance and value until recently. Like most of us, I fell victim to the lure of huge discounts from retailers like Costco and Amazon. For someone who loves to collect books and reads voraciously, the idea of being able to buy more books for less money was too tempting. My independent bookstore purchases became a rare treat instead of a regular habit.

Then, three weeks ago, Borders, the pioneer of big-box bookstores, announced the end of its megastore reign. All the remaining 399 stores, including the one in Provo, Utah, will be closed by the end of September, and 11,000 people will lose their jobs. Barnes and Noble, the second-largest bookseller chain, has avoided bankruptcy but has closed several stores and also cut jobs.

Following this regrettable announcement, the doom-and-gloom for bricks-and mortar stores ensued. As I began my research for this article, I found a wealth of depressing statistics. For example, from 2000-2007, more than 1,000 bookstores closed and the American Booksellers Association membership fell from 3,200 to its current 1,700 member stores.

Many obstacles have popped up in the path of bookstores over the past decade: a struggling economy, the rise of and excitement over e-books and, most of all, publishers giving huge discounts to retailers like Walmart, Amazon and price clubs. These retailers often sell books at a loss because their focus isn't selling books, it's consumer electronics and other more profitable items.

In the USA Today article, "Is there hope for small bookstores in a digital age?" Albert Greco, a Fordham University marketing professor who studies book retailing, says, "Traditional bookstores (independents and the chains, including Books-a-Million) accounted for less than half of the book market last year. The majority of books were sold by a variety of other retailers."

The idea that traditional bookstores may not exist in the future was devastating. So I went to the source: I sat down with Anne Holman, store manager, and Betsy Burton, co-owner of The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, a fixture in the book community for the past 35 years.

"Independent bookstores are a community for readers and writers," Holman said. These stores do all the leg work of promoting and selling books, as well as creating a space for authors to connect with readers.

"Just our little King's English reaches 2 million people a year," said Burton. "We (independent stores) are the marketing arm for publishers, for Amazon. We do events, we blog, we Facebook, we talk about books everywhere. If we went away, no one would sell books."

A light bulb went off in my head: independent stores are the heart, blood and muscles of the book world body. Without their tireless efforts, the industry might shrivel up and die.

But these efforts have not made them immune to the trends in bookselling.

"It's a huge deal for us," Holman said. "We can't compete with (the Amazon, Walmart and price club) discounts because we don't set the book prices — the publishers do. And we don't make a huge margin as it is. We have to pay wages, health insurance, taxes, etc." True, those discount retailers offer a cheaper price, but what do they do for the local economy? The local "book scene"? The local reading, writing and publishing market? The role of the independent stores in our communities is far more valuable than a huge price discount.

Burton told me about a woman who recently came into her shop: "This woman, originally from Colombia, who doesn't know a lot about American children's books, was used to spending hours in chain stores and other retailers trying to find books for her 5-year-old daughter and never with much success. When she came into our store, there were three women immediately by her side who spent a considerable amount of time helping her find just the right books." Burton added, "She said that it was such an amazing experience. And that is what we do. Not just The King's English, but all independent bookstores."

Independent bookstores will continue on because they provide an invaluable service that discount and online retailers can't: personal, knowledgeable service. These booksellers read, know and love books and can match readers to books. The books we read are a personal experience, and to ensure the most meaningful experience it only makes sense to go to the experts for advice. And for techies out there — many, including King's English, sell e-books and provide online shopping.

Another service provided by independent stores is support of our local economies and communities. This support is crucial, and more shoppers need to understand the consequences of shopping outside the local community.

In an article for The King's English newsletter, "Inkslinger," Burton wrote, "Every time you spend $100 in a locally owned independent business, 68% stays in our community; when you spend that same $100 in a chain store, 43% stays here. When you spend $100 at Amazon, 0% stays here."

Holman added, "What is hard to explain to a customer is how if you buy books from Amazon we can't pay our local police officers." Spending money at local retailers means supporting the local economy. Sales tax money goes to support all kinds of local necessities such as roads, schools, parks, the arts and support for elderly and special needs. Local stores also create and keep jobs in our local economy. Most of us have seen the "Utah's Own" or "Buy Local First" label on products and in stores, encouraging us to keep our money in Utah. Bookstores such as The King's English, Sam Weller's, Dolly's Bookstore, Three Little Monkeys and more are "Utah's Own" booksellers. For a more complete list of Utah bookstores, click here. If your favorite is missing, please post it on the Comment Board.

Suddenly, sitting in a tiny chair in The King's English's delightful children's room, I felt guilty for every book I had ever purchased on Amazon or thrown in my cart at Costco. I, like most shoppers, did not realize the repercussions of getting that big discount. The trend of publishers pushing books through discount and online retailers instead of through independent stores devalues books. And for someone who values books immensely, I knew I could no longer support such efforts.

So in answer to the question, "Do traditional bookstores have a future?" I say this: a big, emphatic YES!

Bookstores will have a future if we, those who read and those who love books, support the stores that make the most impact.

Burton said, "The down-trend of the last decade is reversing. Now more independent stores are opening than closing. All of the sudden, everybody wants a bookstore."

The rise of technology, the failure of big-box chains and the lure of discount retailers is not a death sentence for bookstores. Oren Tiecher, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, said in a recent statement that he doesn't "believe that the Borders closing is a bellwether for the future of bricks-and-mortar bookstores nationwide. Rather, it is, in part, an unfortunate right-sizing of a bookstore landscape that has suffered from overexpansion."

Michael Norris, a senior analyst at market research firm Simba Information, also said, "A lot of people get carried away with the things going on in digital, but if you look really closely at the industry, it's still really about selling one book at a time to one person at a time."

Personally, as a reader, book lover and a writer, I want my book money to count for more. I have committed to buying all my books from independent stores. I'm content buying fewer books knowing that the ones I do buy go to truly support the book community — my community. I also switched all the book links on the Book Matters blog (as many as are available) from Amazon to the Indie Bound website, the community website for independent booksellers.

If all readers do the same, then not only will our communities be better off, but bookstores will have a bright and lasting future.

Next week: Tips for reading to baby

Teri Harman writes and reads from home amid the chaos of three young children. For book reviews, book suggestions and more book fun, visit book-matters.com. Follow Teri on Facebook (Book Matters) or Twitter (@bookmattersblog).

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