Why Your Local Indie Bookstore Deserves Your Support
My family already knows what I’ve bought them for Christmas. It’s the same gift I bought each of them last Christmas, and the Christmas before.
Books.
Don’t worry, the kids will get other goodies this year (like healthcare and school tuition, for example) but nothing trumps books.
My family also knows I probably bought their books from one of the indie booksellers near our home. Indie booksellers provide knowledgeable and personalized customer service, benefit local economies, contribute to protecting the environment, and foster community in ways big-box chains do not.
Indie bookstores also provide the natural climate in which people are most apt to ‘linger’, a re-humanizing spiritual practice in a world obsessed with efficiency and productivity. Indies get my support for that alone.
“But Ian, the header on your website has pornographically large buttons linking people to Amazon and B&N!”
Of course it does. I’m a scant known author who needs to sell books to feed his family. The sales of Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: A Memoir…of Sorts didn’t suffer when Barnes & Noble named it a featured title in its Discover Great New Writers program. Trust me, I’m grateful to B&N for recognizing and honoring my work. I’m hoping big-box chains and indie booksellers will find a way to co-exist as each has their niche. Time will tell if I’m a naive idealist. In the meantime I’ll try to advance the cause of indie booksellers whenever or however I can either by purchasing my books through them or talking them up.
On that note, here’s a list of some of my favorite indie booksellers. Check them out for yourself and feel free to add the name of your favorite indie bookseller to my list. It’s not too late to visit one for Christmas.
Diane’s Bookstore-Greenwich, CT www.dianesbooks.com
Landmark Booksellers-Franklin, TN www.landmarkbooksellers.com
Yeoman in the Fork-Leiper’s Fork, TN www.yeomansinthefork.com
Parnassus Bookstore-Nashville, TN www.parnassusbooks.net
Northshire Bookstore-Manchester, VT www.northshire.com
Eighth Day Books-Wichita, KS www.eighthdaybooks.com
Hearts and Minds Books-Dallastown, PA www.heartsandmindsbooks.com
The Tattered Cover-Denver, CO www.tatteredcover.com
St Mark’s Bookshop-New York, NY www.stmarksbookshop.com
Powells Bookstore-Portland, OR www.powells.com
To find an indie bookseller near you, go to www.indiebound.org
7 Responses to “Why Your Local Indie Bookstore Deserves Your Support”
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Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me
“When I first discovered the grainy picture in my mother’s desk—me as a towheaded two year old sitting in what I remember was a salmon-orange-stained lifeboat—I was overwhelmed by the feeling that the boy in the boat was not waving and laughing at the
Ian, if you ever find yourself in Iowa City, be sure to check out Prairie Lights Book Store. Not sure how long it’s been in operation, but it was there when I was in college, so at least 35 years. It burned down in 1982 or ’83, then rose from the ashes even better than before.
http://www.prairielightsbooks.com/
I’m also a big fan of used book stores. LOVE the smell of old books!
Thanks Richard!
PS here is the link to my favorite USED book store: The Haunted Book Shop, also in Iowa City.
http://thehauntedbookshop.com/
There is a bookstore in the suburbs of Toronto (Mississauga) called Ontario Christian Books (obviously they sell mainly Christian books). Their website looks very commercial, but visiting the store is a one of a kind experience (Make sure you go to the back section). I lived in Grand Rapids for a time, which is a city that hosts several Christian publishing companies. That being said, I found it very hard to find some of the great theological voices in the stores in that area. Perhaps I was looking in the wrong places. I’ll never forget visiting Ontario Christian Books and seeing almost everything that Newbigin had ever written. When I began to talk to Lance (make sure you look him up) he said, “Oh, you like Newbigin? You need to meet this lady over here, her father was baptized by him in India”. Many similar experiences which you don’t get at a big box store. Anyhow, I’ve taken up enough space
Thanks, Phil!
Here is a decent list for folks who find themselves in the Twin Cities:
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-independent-bookstores-minneapolis-st-paul/
For new books I’m a fan of Garrison Keillor’s place:
http://www.commongoodbooks.com/
Used:
http://www.sixthchamber.com/
Thanks, Micah!