I just wanted to tip off my fellow book lovers about this documentary on independent bookstores, Indies Under Fire: The Battle for the American Bookstore by Jacob Bricca, produced by Jonathan Crosby (2006). Tracing the lamentable decline of independent booksellers in coastal California due to incoming big box bookstores likes Barnes & Noble and Borders, Bricca shows us that we’re losing much more than just a small store, we’re losing community and believe it or not, our choice in book selection.
The documentary points out that large book publishers often pay corporate bookstores to display certain books for a given time. Big booksellers also return books that don’t sell quickly or in enough quantity back to the publishers. By contrast, independent bookstores often create displays based on what the owners and community members have said they enjoyed reading. They are more likely to support local writers and stock books by independent publishers. On top of having these rare reads (and bestsellers, too), independent bookstores give more back to the local economies than do big box stores: a study done by Civic Economics concluded that $68 of every $100 spent by consumers in local businesses is returned to the local community, compared with just $43 spent in chain stores, reports Bricca.
I already knew that our independent booksellers were on the decline, but it was really informative to see this film. It’s just under an hour long, and I never lost interest. Particularly impressive was the story of how a community in Palo Alto managed to stave off Borders to save their beloved Printers, Inc. bookstore (if only for a while). If you care about your locally-grown bookstore, it’s a good film to take a look at.
