Is all the news about the death of the independent bookstore just so much media hype?
That’s the question raised by Seattle bookseller JB DIckey in a letter to the Seattle Times. Dickey, owner of the Seattle Mystery Bookshop notes that when local independent M. Coy Books closed recently, the Times did a big gloom and doom article on the death of an industry. However, when SMB moved to a bigger space a couple of years back because they were doing so well, the Times utterly ignored their press releases.
To excerpt from Dickey’s letter: “If you want to know how independent booksellers really are doing, come ask us. Reacting to the closing of one bookshop by saying it is another death-knell of an industry simply isn’t fair or correct and can be counterproductive. <…> Why not do a story about how some independents are doing fine because of their customers who want to support small businesses? Isn’t there a story in that?”
The good news? SMB is doing better than ever — 2007 was their best year yet, with a 6.5% increase in sales over 2006.
And do be sure to visit SMB’s website, linked above. Terrific store “For mystery lovers who know what they want and for those who haven’t a clue…”
Lisa
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.