By Geo Ong
Borders Group, America’s second largest bookstore chain, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last Wednesday and is in the process of closing 200 of its stores nationwide. Contrary to how it may seem, this is by no means a reason to celebrate for independent bookstores across the country.
With former Borders customers now floating in the air as an untethered cloud of dollar bills, there is a good and sad chance that many of them will surrender to Amazon. This, however, isn’t a sure thing. Indie bookstore aficionados/cultural pessimists sometimes tend to overlook the fact that some former Borders customers have already shunned Amazon in favour of the brick-and-mortar bookstore. These good people enjoy the atmosphere of a real bookstore: being able to browse, stumble upon books they might’ve not known existed, and lounge for an hour or four in a comfy chair with a cup of coffee.
With the closing of their Borders store, these particular members of the floating cloud may instead gravitate toward long-time Borders rival and current largest bookstore chain in America, Barnes & Noble.
If you, dear reader, are one of these people (or if you know someone who is), have you considered the independent bookstore? If it is indeed the bookstore experience you crave and desire, allow me to inform you that the independent bookstore offers that – nay, is that – even more so than the chain brick-and-mortar bookstore.
Every independent bookstore I’ve been to is run by and employs only the most passionate book person. These people care about books and the people dedicated enough to read them. If you enter an independent bookstore with an open mind, you’ll be greeted with open arms and may leave with your own arms full of titles that may potentially change your life forever. Books have always carried the potentiality of this power. Independent booksellers work everyday to see that it’s realised for your benefit.
Edward Champion wrote a fantastic article about the closing of Borders stores, offering a wealthy list of independent bookstore alternatives located nearby many closing chain stores.
We all know that the printed word matters. Equally important is where we get it.
