5 Reasons to Shop at Indie Bookstores

23 Oct 2015

The internet is an incredible service, especially when it comes to purchasing items you’d like and having them reach you at top speeds. When you know you can have something nearly instantaneously it’s hard not to go with the fastest option. That’s especially true if there’s a book you’re extremely excited to read. But if you haven’t been to your local indie bookstore you’ve been missing out on rewarding experience. Why go buy a book in person when you can have it shipped to your front door? We have five reasons.

---

5 Reasons to Shop at Indie Bookstores

Events and Book Signings: Music can be fun to listen to anywhere, but there’s something particularly energizing about live performances. The same can be said for author readings. There’s something compelling about listening to the person who wrote a good story read it to a roomful of listeners. One could argue that we should schedule more story time into our lives. An easy way to do that is by attending your local indie stores events. Do you own a book that has room for a few more words from it’s author? Specifically, their signature? You can get that extra personal touch at a local bookstore when your beloved writer stops in for a book signing event!

Hire Local People: Chances are, when you order a book online you don’t know who you’re getting it from. When you go into a local book store you are more likely to see a recognizable face. Maybe you won’t know them the first time you come in, but your subsequent visits will make them more and more familiar. Not only will you be supporting a local business and local jobs, these workers will also get to know you, which leads to our next point.

Personal Recommendations: There’s a good chance that if these people are working in book stores that they like books, and not just the smell of them, or the way they hold words goodly. Some websites may offer suggestions of books you might like, but bookstore employees are capable of delivering better recommendations based on more personal information. Ask them when you stop in, and they may lead you to your next great read.

Make New Friends: So maybe you won’t find love at your local bookstore. But you share enough time and interest in reading material, you’re sure to find a friend. You might find someone you can finally talk about your favorite books with, someone you can look forward to sharing plot points and reactions with. Favorite character killed off? Maybe now you’ll have a shoulder to cry on.

Support the Local Economy: Without getting into the scary, hairy details of taxes, when you contribute to your local area commerce, your local area’s economy does better. When you ship a book to yourself, you are depriving your local economy the profit, both in revenue and taxes, that comes from the transaction. Sometimes it’s nice to spread the love (and moolah!) a little closer to home.

---

Sign up for our email and we’ll send you the best new books in your favorite genres weekly.