Saturday, July 14, 2012

Independent bookstores say news of their deaths greatly exaggerated


By Peter Henderson, The Ottawa Citizen - June 16, 2012

The Collected Works bookstore and coffee shop is the only bookseller in Ottawa participating in Save the Bookstore Day, and owner Chris Smith said the name isn’t perfect but the message is sound.

The Collected Works bookstore and coffee shop is the only bookseller in Ottawa participating in Save the Bookstore Day, and owner Chris Smith said the name isn’t perfect but the message is sound.

On Saturday, bookstores in Canada and the United States marked a day aimed at saving independent bookstores, but one Ottawa bookseller said rumours of the industry’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
“Save the Bookstore Day” was the product of a social media campaign started by an American literary agent in 2011.
Independent bookstores across Canada, including Ottawa’s Collected Works, hosted readings and other events meant to remind the community of the importance of buying the printed word from a local shop.
But the title of the campaign, with its implicit message that bookstores need saving, rubs some people the wrong way.
“Every independent bookstore is facing challenges right now,” said Pat Catven, a manager at Perfect Books on Elgin Street who has spent 26 years in the business. “It affects your marketplace, but it doesn’t have to kill you. You don’t open a bookstore to make a million dollars.”
The Collected Works bookstore and coffee shop is the only bookseller in Ottawa participating in Save the Bookstore Day, and owner Chris Smith said the name isn’t perfect but the message is sound.
“We want people to know that it’s a use it or lose it situation,” he said. “Bookstores won’t disappear tomorrow, but the general trajectory of the industry is concerning.”
Last week, the women behind Mother Tongue Books said they were closing the book on 18 years of serving the community.
And in March, the Nicholas Hoare chain of independent bookstores closed two of their three stores, including their Sussex Drive location.
The popularity of online retailers such as Amazon and the increasing availability of books at bulk discount retailers like Costco has cut into the profits of local booksellers, Smith said.
Smith said he and his partner have tried to diversify what their bookstore does, opening the space to community groups and selling local treats and pastries. But their basic business model, he said, is still all about “connecting the reader with the right book.”
Smith said he hopes other bookstores in the city will join the Save the Bookstore campaign, even if they’re not crazy about the name.
“It seems like every year there’s something new that cuts into our profit margin,” he said. “We need people to recognize how important it is to have a place that recognizes the importance of the book as a cultural object.”

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Independent+bookstores+news+their+deaths+greatly+exaggerated/6794912/story.html#ixzz20Wvt8mVb

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