The New Localism and Bookshops as the Third Place
by Lincoln Gould‘Localism’ is a much-used word today, increasingly so in the international bookselling industry. But it seems the word has many different meanings, with contexts spanning use by hole-in-the-wall coffee shops, to use in British Parliamentary Acts of Parliament.
The American Booksellers Association has a specific ‘Localism’ Project which they have developed over a number of years, promoting the role not just of independent bookstores, but all small independent businesses in the community. The ABA was one of the key movers in the establishment of Advocates for Independent Business (AIB), a coalition of trade associations and other organizations that represent locally owned, independent businesses serving a consumer market. In this article we look at how localism is developing in the United States and also, perhaps more organically, in New Zealand. Read on.
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