With the holidays coming up, local bookstores have been promoting sales to get better business. People have been supporting local bookstores for a long time because of their flexibility and help of local economy. Although chain stores such as Barnes and Nobles and Borders have their own way of helping the community, they don’t seem to helping the economy. Supporting local bookstores has become a big trend in Richmond which effects the community and Richmonders. However, every local bookstore has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Local bookstores in Richmond such as Chop Suey Books, Fountain Books and Black Swan Books have been happy with their management during the holiday seasons.
Local bookstores don’t seem to find competition with other stores such as Barnes and Nobles and Borders. Adrienne Robertson, manager of Black Swan Books on West Main Street, say that they don’t find major businesses a threat at all because it is considered to be a specialty store that offers a different line of merchandise.
“At Barnes and Nobles, you will find the latest Stieg Larsen, while here you will find rare first editions, autographs and antiques. They are both books, but it is a very different market we are reaching out to,” says Robertson.
Ward Tefft, store manager of Chop Suey Books, agrees with Robertson that they don’t see themselves as competing with Barnes and Nobles because “we try to create a different pitch for ourselves and the community. We are a locally based store so we base off of that to be local, stay local and shop local,” says Tefft.
Chop Suey has been open for about nine years and during the past three or four years it has seen an increase of customers due to word of mouth. They’re different from big chain bookstores because they provide new and used books as well as rentals. They sell books for less than half the price and focus on not only what is new, but what’s good so it creates a solid identity for them that their customers can count on. They feature local authors and community events and are able to survive the face of big chain stores because they don’t directly compete with them.
“What we do and what Barnes and Nobles do is completely different, we do both sell books but we do it at such a different style, I see Barnes and Nobles and Borders competing against each other,” says Tefft.
In November, there has been a 2.6 percent drop since 2009. Although small bookstores such as Chop Suey and Black Swan Books don’t compete, they try to exist in an environment that they’ve created. However, ever since the economy has gone down, generally major businesses have seen decreases in sales, but small local stores such as Black Swan Books and Fountain Books may have seen a slight decrease but not enough to put them out.
Kelly Justice, manager of Fountain Books, has helped other local places with funds due to the low economy. “We’re not making a lot of money off of sales, many local schools and libraries have lost funding because of the economy, so they come to local businesses for funding,” says Justice.
Chop Suey Books only sell about 1,000 new titles which counts for about 2-3% of their whole inventory. It’s inventory is made up of used and very low priced books. “During the recession we’ve actually seen an increase in sales and buying of books because customers can sell their books back to get some pocket money,” says Tefft. “You can buy three used books in very good condition for the price of one from Barnes and Nobles.”
Some bookstores have an advantage due to their location in downtown Richmond which generates a lot of traffic from the surrounding area. Black Swan Books get a majority of its larger sales either through their online presence or because of professional organizations they belong to. Chop Suey Books have also had good experience with their relocation from Cary Street close to the Virginia Commonwealth University campus to Cary Town.
“Before anyone that came to our shop, it would have to be a destination for them. Here they cannot plan on it and just come over here, so it definitely does help to be in this retail environment,” says Tefft.
Customers have also been appreciative of local bookstores around Richmond. They support local bookstores better than bigger chain bookstores because “chains make billions of dollars, I don’t think there is a need to make billions of dollars, and they’re not supportive of the community as local stores and its cheaper,” says Bird Cox, a loyal Chop Suey Books customer.
Robertson and Tefft both agree that they have a better selection of books than any other chain store.
“You can’t go into any of the big chain stores and find the quality and quantity of the books that we have, we carry books that I think are overlooked,” says Tefft.
The average cost of an eight dollar book at Chop Suey Books is three dollars, while the same book from Barnes and Nobles will stay at it’s original price.
Barnes and Nobles count on making a lot of their money on best sellers while local bookstores have books that would hopefully sell, however their main goal is to provide books that you wouldn’t normally see or hear in chain stores the fan fair hasn’t really caught up with.
For more information on any of the above listed bookstores you can visit their website:
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Students around Virginia Commonwealth University have also been supportive of local bookstores for buying textbooks. VCU Senior, Cristina Dunn, enjoys shopping at local bookstores.
“It not only helps the local economy and small business owners, but it is also a lot cheaper. I have also found that the smaller book stores are more flexible when you buy and sell your books,” says Dunn.
Another student in his Junior year, Jimmy Warraich, also likes to shop at local bookstores. “I get everything from local bookstores because it's cheaper for private bookstores,” says Warraich.
Students feel comfortable purchasing their books from smaller local stores because of their greater selection and great prices. “I prefer shopping at smaller bookstores. The smaller companies try a lot harder for your business and usually have better deals than bigger commercial chains,” says Anip Mann, Junior at VCU. “They also have a better selection on VCU paraphernalia and better prices on them too. The big book stores might be good places to chill and have a good read with some coffee, but when it comes to purchasing, I head to the smaller stores for sure.”
Although a lot of students are supporters of small local businesses, there are still some students who are comfortable with the big chain bookstores. “Local bookstores are nice to shop at because they’re cheap, but I prefer shopping in Barnes and Nobels or Borders because I can find more choices plus they have alot of promotions. They also have Android and iPhone apps which I like to use to buy and find books. They also have cafes that you can drink coffee while you read you favorite book,” says Jassem Al-Buloushi, international student from VCU.
Whether a student from a university or any general local citizen from Richmond, everyone is in favor of supporing small local businesses helping the community and local ecomony.
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