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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Books / Money Fight the Power: Bookstore Edition

Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 at 11:31 AM

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Remember in the early 1990s, when independent bookstores were closing all over the country as Borders and Barnes & Nobles moved in? Because the chain bookstores had prices that the independent bookstores just couldn't match?

It's 1994 all over again:

Borders will close its San Francisco South Beach store on October 16th. The bookstore occupies the ground floor of a condominium complex, and a Borders spokesperson explained that the branch did not meet "financial objectives."

Barnes and Noble on Monday announced it would close its Lincoln Center store due to high rents. Company spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating said sales were not a factor in the closing of the store, located in a busy and prosperous neighborhood. The chain has faced increasing competition in recent years from price clubs and Internet retailers.

I'm sure that there are a few bitter ex-booksellers who are giggling a little bit at this news.

Comments (12) RSS

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When you compete in the market, you must accept both outcomes.

Posted by tiktok on August 31, 2010 at 11:34 AM

In 1994, B&N and Borders didn't drive GOOD bookstores out of business, only inept ones. The biggest losers were the terrible, terrible mall stores -- remember how frustrating B.Dalton and Waldenbooks were? And even a lot of loser independents, who were perhaps one day Elliot Bays but through mismanagement and sloth turned into warehouses of unsaleable old crap.

Barnes and Noble and Borders were the best thing that ever happened to nine-tenths of America.

Posted by Fnarf

on August 31, 2010 at 11:53 AM

I'd be surprised if booksellers, ex or otherwise, are giggling at hearing that online stores (Amazon) and behemoth price clubs are shutting down retail locations. Big fish getting swallowed by gigantic fish doesn't really improve the ecology.*

Well, maybe the really bitter ones would.

*Although, Fnarf is right. Stores like B.Dalton and Waldenbooks needed a stake driven through their hearts.

Posted by Wicked Virgin

on August 31, 2010 at 12:12 PM

I'm not surprised they closed that SF location. The current state of major book stores aside, I'm guessing they were really expecting South Beach to develop more than it has. The neighborhood is more bustling than it was 10 years ago, but outside of game days—and game run-off isn't going to pack a Barnes and Noble—it's pretty dead over there.

Anyone looking to drive to a Barnes and Noble will probably just head to the mall.

Posted by Dougsf on August 31, 2010 at 12:17 PM

Yup, that's an economy for you. If you offer better service or products you succeed and others don't. But if you fail to do that others will come up and run you out. Its why I am not too concerned about Amazon's growing influence. People said that B&N would be the end of literature and drive out independent voices, but it wasn't and neither will Amazon.

Posted by giffy on August 31, 2010 at 12:19 PM

Nice commentary on the fate of B&N, and link to some background details at djmorel.com - http://www.djmorel.com/index.php/2010/08…

Posted by buck1ey on August 31, 2010 at 12:24 PM

I am hoping Barnes & Noble management now comprehends how useless forcing checkout personnel to sell savings memberships to everyone is.

Posted by Keister Button on August 31, 2010 at 12:27 PM

There are rumors that B&N will also be closing their huge Union Square, NYC location as well. I'm shocked about the Lincoln Square announcement, as it is always crowded there. They have one of the best CD/DVD selections in the city (though nothing compared to the Tower Records that used to be across the street). Our choices for holding products in our hands and really sampling them before buying (i.e., looking at whatever pages in a book we want to) are dwindling...

Posted by Cracker Jack on August 31, 2010 at 12:27 PM

Oh, sorry, I must have missed this thread while reading a paperback from the bookstore in Fremont.

Did anyone say anything important?

Posted by Will in Seattle

on August 31, 2010 at 12:38 PM

The summer I graduated from college, I had no job, no idea what i was going to do with my life, and no real desire to figure it out, but i did have a place to live rent free on the upper west side for the summer. I spent two or three days of every week at Shakespeare and Company in that neighborhood. It was eden, and i never wanted to leave there. i discovered at least three dozen new writers because of recommendations from the amazing staff who really knew their books, and really loved working there.

And then B&N came into the neighborhood with all their deep discounts and flashiness and killed my favorite bookstore. Murdered, quickly and violently.

It kinds of makes me want to do a little jig on B&Ns upcoming NYC grave.

Posted by pablissima on August 31, 2010 at 12:39 PM

Haha, take that stupid sexy Flanders!

...Err....

D'oh!

Posted by Cory on August 31, 2010 at 12:49 PM

What Fnarf said @2. For those of us who grew up in Midwestern suburbs, Border's was Mecca. I spent years frustrated at Waldenbooks, barely kept literate by my tiny local library (with extensive reliance upon interlibrary loan). Yeah, eventually I moved out to Washington and still go there on book buying vacations. But Border's was revolutionary for me, and then Amazon was revolutionary for having all the books that I couldn't get at Border's, the ones I didn't even know I needed because I never would've found out about them before the interwebs--used to have to rely on my mom's 1960s Masterplots for suggestions! Don't really care for them as a company that much, but they've succeeded because they filled an empty niche, as did Border's and B&N before them. Though that does remind me, now that I've moved I'm just a 45 minute drive from a non-awful independent bookstore again! I should go check it out.

Posted by gember on August 31, 2010 at 12:55 PM