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An author’s cross-country road trip leads him to dozens of independent bookstores … and the answer to his “pandemic gap”
Small businesses across a variety of industries have long felt the sting of competition from large online retailers. These retailers often aren’t restricted by geography, selling to customers across the country much like a big-box mass retailer. What’s more, large online retailers may find themselves exempt from collecting state and local sales tax, helping them beat the prices of local brick-and-mortar stores. Fortunately, for locally owned and independent bookstores, there’s…read more →
When it comes to reading, opting to go low-tech can re-instill an appreciation for the book, the story and the effort that went into both of them.
Over nearly 40 years, Oblong Books & Music in New York’s Hudson Valley has proven that independent book stores still have an important role to play in our communities. Oblong has stores in Millerton and Rhinebeck, in northern Dutchess County, NY and is operated by a father and daughter team: Dick Hermans and Suzanna Hermans.
No matter how bleak the news about publishing gets, independently owned bookstores are surviving, and in some cases thriving, in an Amazon-ruled, post-bookstore chain environment that shouldn’t necessarily be hospitable to shops that handsell books to locals.
Amazon may have the bargains, but independent booksellers are trading in the importance of real-life community — and are seeing an uptick in business.
Indie bookstore customers no longer have to choose between reading digital and supporting their local bookstore – Lake Forest Book Store is now selling Google eBooks™ online at www.lakeforestbookstore.com.
