Over at the Village Books blog, co-owner Chuck Robinson, who’s been a leader in NW bookselling for the last 30 years, talks about the uncertain state of his profession and ponders a few ideas for the survival of indie stores. Village is recognized in the September issue of Fast Company Magazine as one of several indie bookstores across the country with “novel” strategies for survival—specifically for its Espresso Book Machine, a $75,000 investment that the store is on track to pay off in two years. In his blog post, Robinson highlights Village’s One Book Pledge campaign, which asks its customers to buy one more book from the store and one less from chain and online stores. And he asks readers to answer the questions: “What is the value of an independent bookstore to me, and to my community, and would things be just fine without one?” We know how we would answer those questions. How about you?
Borrowed Copy
The State of Village Books
August 12, 2011
— posted by
Jamie