Confessions of an Unapologetic Indie

Mara Lynn Luther of Chapter One Book Store,

252 Main Street

Hamilton, MT 59840 

I’m not an economic priest. My bookstore is not a confessional. I’m tired of handing out “Hail Locals” to guilt-riddled shoppers. If you bought a Kindle as your sole reading device, you have cut out your local bookstore when there are options for e-readers that don’t eliminate indies. It’s your choice, but don’t come whining to me that you really want to shop local, but you have to be “smart about your money.”

I agree, you should be smart about your money. You should know that local businesses hand out thousands of dollars worth of donations and items to schools, organizations, and clubs throughout your community every year.

Maybe shopping local isn’t a priority for you. Fine. Talk to Amazon about donating a silent auction item for your son’s school trip to D.C. and ask for a discount on books purchased for your school district.

I’m sure Wal-Mart would sell your dance recital tickets or put a bucket on the counter for summer camp applications. Maybe Costco will supply the food for a fund-raiser, but I doubt it. If your local businesses dry up, so do your local newspapers and along with empty store-fronts, your organizations will lose supporters.

The whole conversation seems silly because it just makes sense to keep your money in your community, no matter what your political views are. I know that I can’t help everyone who walks into my store. Sometimes people want books at a price that I can’t afford to give them, but when a customer tries us first, before online or big-box stores, I feel like maybe there’s a way for us all to survive.

This little rant isn’t meant to be the end, either. I’m just proposing that we think about the bigger picture and what kind of community we want to live in.