Your Local Independent Bookstore Deserves Your Support

by John Kremer on Saturday, October 15th, 2011 | Comments Off

Here is a great quote from a recent article on Book Beast about the value of local indie booksellers.

We vote with our wallets. And if you care about the unique character of your community, if you believe in rewarding the rugged independence of small businesses, then your local independent bookstore deserves your support, now more than ever. This is an admittedly counter-cultural effort—but that is part of its appeal and sense of purpose.

Bookstores are different than other stores—they reflect the soul of a community. They are a place for meeting, browsing and reflecting. You bump into friends and neighbors, and see a book on the shelf you might have never crossed paths with before. They offer time for contemplation and conversation.

- John Avlon of Book Beast

The only odd thing about the above quote is his statement that supporting independent bookstores is “an admittedly counter-cultural effort.” That I simply don’t understand.

Supporting independent bookstores is the ultimate cultural effort. It isn’t counter-cultural at all.

Maybe that’s just my experience.

Note: We are always working to keep the bookstore listings up to date. If you find any new information on any bookstore, please email details to johnfkremer@gmail.com. Thanks.

Top 700 Independent Bookstores Data Files — This list started out as 500, then 600, then 700, and now over 750 top general interest bookstores. It includes names of the book buyers and event coordinators, address, phone, fax, email, website, and other information about each bookstore.

You will be able to download six different formats (your choice of one or all) as well as an information sheet to let you know what is contained in the various data files. Data file download, $40.00. If you find any errors in any listing, we guarantee to hunt down the error and correct it for you immediately.