Monday, January 25, 2010

Barnes and Noble without pity, and a city without a bookstore

When I first moved to Hoboken, what I loved was that it was an artsy city that was a subway stop (and 7 minutes) from Greenwich Village, that it was bustling and urban, full of brownstones and writers, and it had three bookstores. Not for long, of course because Barnes and Noble came in and forced them all out of business. But gradually, my family began to spend more and more time there. We loved hanging out, drinking tea, reading, buying books. When my son was born, we spent even more time there because as he grew, he loved books and would often sprawl on the floor reading for many happy hours. The store was blocks from our home--convenient, welcoming, absolutely essential.

Sigh. Now Barnes and Noble is closing and Hoboken is about to be without a bookstore. I'm both angry, crazed, and upset. Someone said, "Thanks, B&N for coming in, running the indies out of town, and now leaving us in the lurch without a bookstore." I know times are tough, but I can't imagine not having a bookstore close by, and I'm desperately praying some indie will fill the void. And if anyone wants to open a store, I promise, I'll work for you a few hours every day for free. I'll get the word out.

4 comments:

Lisa said...

Oh wow, talk about a city crying out for a cool indie. I always make noise about moving back someday (I lived there for seven years), and if I do... hey, who knows.

Gaylen said...

Our indie bookstore, Village Books, is on the verge of closing, too. They sent out a mass email today asking everyone to come by this weekend for a 25% off sale in order to keep them in business. It's heart breaking. If they close, the nearest bookstore (Barnes & Noble!!) is 7 miles away. Sob.

Clea Simon said...

I'm so sorry. We lost one of my favorite indies, Wordsworth, a few years ago. The survivor, Harvard Book Store, tries to take up the slack - and I try to shop there whenever I can, but it's hard for any bookstore now. Not just BN, but Amazon... keep shopping, folks - locally and independently! Vote with your wallets!

MidiMike said...

I share the pain. Books rival my passion for wine. Well run independent booksellers will appear again as a good business person will know there is space for what "big" cannot offer. I disagree regarding BN "forcing" anyone out; the same was said of Starbucks. The truth is technology and weak business models forced out many small bookstores. Before Starbucks and BA: I drank a lot of bad coffee with nowhere to sit or any food to nibble; many of my small bookstore experiences were the same. (Montclair Books is a positive book experience - careful selection of what they buy, and many niche topics.)