Comments on: Save The Bookstore, Save The Community http://booksquare.com/save-the-bookstore-save-the-community/ Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:52:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Maximum Persuasion http://booksquare.com/save-the-bookstore-save-the-community/comment-page-1/#comment-166171 Maximum Persuasion Thu, 19 Jul 2007 03:05:47 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2007/02/07/2288/#comment-166171 And lets go beyond the bookstore-classy bar combo! What about a SpaRetreat-Boostore combo? Or a DatingPlace-Bookstore combo? Anything to jumpstart the good ole reading fascination! And lets go beyond the bookstore-classy bar combo!

What about a SpaRetreat-Boostore combo? Or a DatingPlace-Bookstore combo?

Anything to jumpstart the good ole reading fascination!

]]> By: SusanGable http://booksquare.com/save-the-bookstore-save-the-community/comment-page-1/#comment-165153 SusanGable Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:57:37 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2007/02/07/2288/#comment-165153 Ooooo, I love the image of bookstore/classy bar combo. Ooooo, I love the image of bookstore/classy bar combo.

]]> By: Nora Roberts http://booksquare.com/save-the-bookstore-save-the-community/comment-page-1/#comment-165152 Nora Roberts Thu, 08 Feb 2007 12:50:32 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2007/02/07/2288/#comment-165152 As a writer AND as the wife of the owner of an independent bookstore, I agree with everything you said. When my husband opened 12 years ago, his goal was making the store a kind of community center. A place where people could come in, browse books--and interesting sidelines--have coffee, sit, relax. We once had a guy taking a nap on the sofa back in the kid's section--but he bought books. And the kid's section has toys and a little table so the little guys can play while Mom or Dad browse. He offers Story Time once a month, and has a book club that grew from one lovely woman to a dozen people in a few short months. Once a year he holds an opening for local artists. It's a tremendous amount of work, and takes a lot of energy, time and creativity. It takes a hard-working, creative and personable staff. But indies can't offer the same kind of discount on books, nor in most cases the same quantity of books as a chain. So they have to offer something else. As a writer AND as the wife of the owner of an independent bookstore, I agree with everything you said. When my husband opened 12 years ago, his goal was making the store a kind of community center. A place where people could come in, browse books–and interesting sidelines–have coffee, sit, relax. We once had a guy taking a nap on the sofa back in the kid’s section–but he bought books. And the kid’s section has toys and a little table so the little guys can play while Mom or Dad browse. He offers Story Time once a month, and has a book club that grew from one lovely woman to a dozen people in a few short months. Once a year he holds an opening for local artists.

It’s a tremendous amount of work, and takes a lot of energy, time and creativity. It takes a hard-working, creative and personable staff. But indies can’t offer the same kind of discount on books, nor in most cases the same quantity of books as a chain. So they have to offer something else.

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