The various bookstores in a city serve many functions, providing books for entertainment, work and school, but they also equally create a specific space for each person.
Individuals of all age groups should be able to visit the bookstores in their cities and experience something personal to them. Independent bookstores fulfill these special purposes. As independent businesses they work very hard to thrive in the shadow of the corporate giants.
And while both serve economic purposes, both providing a commodity and general customer service, I believe it is important we notice and support our local stores before patronizing the familiar corporate bookshelves.
From personal experience, it is incredibly frustrating to walk into a corporate bookstore, one that can be found in nearly every city globally, looking for a book that may not yet be considered a “best-seller” or a “classic,” but is certainly of value to me personally – only to find that they do not ever carry it.
Also, they don’t carry anything like it. However, if you are in the market for the newest Sarah Palin best- seller, those are stacked high on every table.
This, I have found, is the main distinction between corporate and independent: the independent bookstore willingly carries the lesser-known authors, less concerned if the book isn’t a best- seller, and more interested in not only supporting their customer’s best interest, but also the author’s career and ambitions in the vicious world of literature.
The promotion of lesser-known authors is an important part of discovering the books that, in later years, will be potentially remembered as canonical, or speaking to a generation.
The independent bookstore is always actively participating in this aspect of the literary world.
Not only do they host the books on their shelves, but also events, allowing both widely- known and lesser known authors to share and speak about their texts. Rarely do I hear of Barnes and Noble, or what was Borders, bringing in a budding author to share a passage from their newest novel. In contrast, this is happening, sometimes weekly, at the independent stores.
Furthermore, the independent bookstore is always interested in employing bookworms, and providing stable employment at that. Stores like the Tattered Cover here in Denver or McNally Jackson in New York City hold a knowledgeable and vibrant staff, excited to participate in and help their customers discover the whimsical world of literature.
The independent bookstore is working to support their community, acknowledging that everyone has different tastes, and that they exist to represent those tastes. They provide a pleasant and helpful aesthetic; I am never nervous to call The Tattered Cover and ask for an obscure book by a lesser-known author. From bookworm to bookworm, I know they understand the importance of finding that book. So, if you haven’t already, go and visit the many local bookstores we have here in Colorado.
The Tattered Cover has locations on Colfax Avenue, 16th Street and in Highlands Ranch. The Hermitage is located on Fillmore Street. And, if you are willing to make the trek, The Boulder Book Store on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colo.
At any one of these stores you will find what you are looking for, and if you cannot, they will point you in the right direction. Without independent bookstores, we’d probably all be reading Sarah Palin, and let’s be honest, that’s a scary thought.
