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Back in the Before Times (Before Amazon), owning a bookstore was something I considered when I retire. Now that retirement is actually near, sadly, I have to le

Back in the Before Times (Before Amazon), owning a bookstore was something I considered when I retire. Now that retirement is actually near, sadly, I have to let this go. There's simply no future in it anymore.

criddell 8y ago
You just have to do a better job serving people in your community than Amazon does. https://www.bookweb.org/for-the-record https://www.bookweb.org/for-the-record
claudiulodro 8y ago
Bookstores in tourist places seem to do well (otherwise why is there always a bookstore in tourist towns?!). I think people are looking for something to pass the time while sitting in their hotel or gifts to bring home, and they probably aren't going to get Amazon deliveries on vacation.
- Mediterraneo10 8y ago
  > Bookstores in tourist places seem to do well (otherwise why is there always a bookstore in tourist towns?!). Are you sure they do well? Sales might have severely dropped, though those shops might still be coasting off old stock (think about the well-stocked bookshops in the tourist ghettos of Nepal or India: so much of what they are selling was accumulated in the 1990s, and they are still trying to sell it). Along the same lines, I am traveling at the moment and just recently was chatting with another backpacker about the declining amount of used books for tourists to take in hostels and guesthouses. When a decade ago one might have seen multiple shelves of books for exchange, that phenomenon is disappearing. The fact that most people read on their phones these days, and the other passionate readers are likely to own Kindles, is likely the cause of this.
DoubleCribble 8y ago
I wouldn't be so sure. Have you ever been to Powell's in Portland?[0] They seem to consistently liberate me from more cash in one visit than Amazon does in a year. [0] https://www.powells.com/ https://www.powells.com/
- sizzzzlerz 8y ago
  Powells, in Portland, like The Tattered Cover, in Denver, are multimillion dollar, well established and well loved institutions. I've been to both and absolutely love them, but no newbie could ever attempt to duplicate their success.
  - DoubleCribble 8y ago
    Perhaps Portland is already taken, but I'm sure there are other cities where another parent and child [0] could open a bookstore in a warehouse in a rough part of town that ~50 years later becomes a beloved institution. And make no mistake, the impressive main location was NOT in a nice part of town only 20 years ago. That used to be a part of downtown you wanted to avoid after dark. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell%27s_Books#20th_century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell%27s_Books#20th_century
- potta_coffee 8y ago
  Yes but Powell's is one of the best bookstores in the world. It's a huge operation in a well-known populated city, not a small one-man thing.
- lifeisstillgood 8y ago
  Underneath Waterloo bridge on London's South Bank is a a regular second hand book store. It has more traffic than God but seems to never sell anything (it always seems a bit like a tatty Airport bookshop selling stock from three years ago.) But the location - oh man. You could do so much with that pitch - coffee, lounging areas, right next to a dozen restaurants. It's almost a crime it's not properly done.

criddell 8y ago

You just have to do a better job serving people in your community than Amazon does. https://www.bookweb.org/for-the-record https://www.bookweb.org/for-the-record

claudiulodro 8y ago

Bookstores in tourist places seem to do well (otherwise why is there always a bookstore in tourist towns?!). I think people are looking for something to pass the time while sitting in their hotel or gifts to bring home, and they probably aren't going to get Amazon deliveries on vacation.

Mediterraneo10 8y ago
> Bookstores in tourist places seem to do well (otherwise why is there always a bookstore in tourist towns?!). Are you sure they do well? Sales might have severely dropped, though those shops might still be coasting off old stock (think about the well-stocked bookshops in the tourist ghettos of Nepal or India: so much of what they are selling was accumulated in the 1990s, and they are still trying to sell it). Along the same lines, I am traveling at the moment and just recently was chatting with another backpacker about the declining amount of used books for tourists to take in hostels and guesthouses. When a decade ago one might have seen multiple shelves of books for exchange, that phenomenon is disappearing. The fact that most people read on their phones these days, and the other passionate readers are likely to own Kindles, is likely the cause of this.

DoubleCribble 8y ago

I wouldn't be so sure. Have you ever been to Powell's in Portland?[0] They seem to consistently liberate me from more cash in one visit than Amazon does in a year. [0] https://www.powells.com/ https://www.powells.com/

sizzzzlerz 8y ago
Powells, in Portland, like The Tattered Cover, in Denver, are multimillion dollar, well established and well loved institutions. I've been to both and absolutely love them, but no newbie could ever attempt to duplicate their success.
- DoubleCribble 8y ago
  Perhaps Portland is already taken, but I'm sure there are other cities where another parent and child [0] could open a bookstore in a warehouse in a rough part of town that ~50 years later becomes a beloved institution. And make no mistake, the impressive main location was NOT in a nice part of town only 20 years ago. That used to be a part of downtown you wanted to avoid after dark. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell%27s_Books#20th_century https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powell%27s_Books#20th_century
potta_coffee 8y ago
Yes but Powell's is one of the best bookstores in the world. It's a huge operation in a well-known populated city, not a small one-man thing.
lifeisstillgood 8y ago
Underneath Waterloo bridge on London's South Bank is a a regular second hand book store. It has more traffic than God but seems to never sell anything (it always seems a bit like a tatty Airport bookshop selling stock from three years ago.) But the location - oh man. You could do so much with that pitch - coffee, lounging areas, right next to a dozen restaurants. It's almost a crime it's not properly done.