This article in the Bulletin the other day brought a tear to my eye (esp. the last bit about paying a book forward). I also thought: there's hardly a retailer in the land who hasn't thought about sending out a similar SOS sometime in the last two-plus years. But we're a hardy (or is that foolish?) bunch and we tend to slug it out until the last pennies are gone. At some point, those who've closed (or are planning to close) just wake up one morning and realize that's what they have to do to stop the bleeding. Although in many cases the bleeding doesn't stop: you hardly ever get out without some lingering lease obligation or debt repayment or something.
But, the good news is, we're all trying, we're all plugging along, figuring it out and adjusting to new expectations (and believe me, I know it's not just retailers who are trying to reinvent themselves and survive). We all want to stay in business. The idea of a neighborhood shop is not dead yet, although it's not a very good business model in general.
I thought it was very touching that people stepped up and donated time and money to Dudley's to try and help save a friendly bookstore. But mostly, we all need people to remember that when you do shop, try to shop locally. I think we have some fabulous, independently-owned bookstores in town, and we're lucky to have them. I've been tempted occasionally by the discount warehouse stack o' books, and even zoomed around on Amazon to find a used copy of some obscure title. But no more. I will refuse; I will walk right by and instead go to one of our local bookstores. You?
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