The way you make me feel

~ From the virtual desk of J.P. Mathers ~

Words are wonderful. And they’re even better when strung together to deliver a wry rebuke to a story that can be proven patently false, as Mark Twain did in 1897 when London newspapers printed the rumor that he'd recently died: “Tell them reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Conventional wisdom says that, since Jeff Bezos and Amazon arrived on the scene in the late 90s, big-box and independent bookstores have been faced with an extinction-level event. Convenience and cost would crush brick-and-mortar shops. And for a time this appeared to be true. The behemoth devoured its competition in lockstep with the growth and reach of the nascent world wide web.

But then a funny thing happened on the way to the funeral. Reports of the death of independent bookstores were greatly exaggerated. Just the opposite is true. Independent bookstores aren’t dying. They’re thriving. According to the American Booksellers Association, for every independent bookstore that's closed since 2020, three new ones have opened. 

Exaggeration, indeed.

So why is this? Why are consumers eschewing the convenience of online shopping to patronize their local, and locally owned, independent bookstore? The answers are certainly myriad. But I believe there is a universal sentiment at work that underpins all other reasons. 

We don’t feel better about ourselves after buying a book on Amazon because we didn’t have an experience. We felt nothing—we simply got a book for cheap. If the last few years of isolation and upheaval have taught us anything, it's that we not only crave experience and connection, we need them.

We always feel better after visiting an independent bookstore. They are welcoming neighborhood establishments, imbued with a fun vibe and tasteful decor. The shelves have a broad range of titles, challenging themes, and diverse authors. The staff is known and knowledgeable. Whether or not we make a purchase with each visit, we leave an independent bookstore happier than when we walked in because we felt something. 

For awhile, we were connected. And we'll want to feel that connection again.