In the last century, the face of media and how it’s sold has changed drastically. First, there were vinyl records. Then came cassette tapes, computers, CDs, audiobooks, e-books, big-box bookstores and online book giants that made spending holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday an annual tradition. For some stores, the pressure has proven to be too much.
Borders closed in 2011 and Barnes & Noble was recently sold to a hedge fund in an effort to save it.
Amid this conglomerate-driven consumer culture, however, the majority of independent book stores in the United States have retained their brick-and-mortar storefronts. More than that, the industry as a whole is thriving. While there’s been a slight decline more recently, there are about 5,000 more booksellers today than there were in 1930, according to Census data.
There are a number of reasons why this could be the case.
For one, independent booksellers host events and sell other types of merchandise. More importantly, though, communities value independent book stores. Many are an integral part of their neighborhood’s cultural fabric. Avid readers intentionally shop local instead of ordering online or visiting a box store.
Why doesn’t this shop-local mentality extend to other markets?
Nationally, American entrepreneurship, in general, is declining. More businesses die each year than are born, according to a study by the Brookings Institute. Filling the void, corporate chains are monopolizing the market — for example, Amazon’s revenue has grown about 20 percent each year since 2006.
Locally, we’ve seen the impact of this firsthand. Wilson’s Department Store, a 137-year-old community staple, held a closeout sale last week pending the retirement of the store’s president, Kevin O’Neil.
Elsewhere, Susan Lynton, president of the Leverett Village Co-op’s board, revealed the grocery store’s financial struggles in an article published in October. Weighed by debt, the cooperative might dissolve if nothing changes.
“We have to energize the community,” Lynton said. “This store cannot survive without the community buying. We need to get a certain amount of people shopping and eating.”
The co-op has enough customers, but not enough of them are choosing the local option. Of the 800 active members, around 700 are spending under $100 per year, or less than $2 per week, Lynton said.
This isn’t the first time an editorial in this newspaper has stressed the importance of shopping locally and it certainly won’t be the last — for one simple reason. By working together, communities can change these trends.
In 2015, Adams Donuts, a six-decade-old business in Greenfield, was in danger of closing after fire officials discovered the fryer hood did not meet code or have a fire suppression system. The community rallied and, through a fundraising effort, helped to save the business.
More recently, Isaac Mass, a local attorney and outgoing at-large member of City Council, bought Greenfield Garden Cinemas with his wife, Angela, taking over the downtown landmark from George Gohl and Bill Gobeille, who owned the 90-year-old theater for two decades.
This past weekend, on Small Business Saturday, Mass held a re-opening ceremony featuring the 1946 Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Hundreds of people attended and Mass hailed the day as a success.
“We really had a great small business Saturday,” Mass said.
This is the type of community support that’s necessary to keep Franklin County’s shop-local mentality alive. What would our economy look like if Small Business Saturday generated as much revenue for local businesses as Black Friday and Cyber Monday did for conglomerates?
We hope to see this shop-local emphasis continue through the holiday season and beyond — historically, this has been the case — and not just for one weekend in December. Today’s shopping habits will dictate tomorrow’s economy.
Like independent book stores, local businesses thrive when they’re valued.