It’s Okay That Quirky Used Bookstore Closed
I worked at bookstores for more than ten years. During that time, I sampled a little bit of everything, from a tiny location of a new bookstore chain to the largest used and new bookstore in the country. Working for a bookstore definitely changes your relationship to them: I can’t go into one without judging their shelving and categorization systems. It also made me a lot less precious about books as objects and even bookstores themselves.
There used to be a lot more bookstores in my city, most of which were small used bookshops. They were the classic version you picture when you think of used bookstores: piles of books crammed into a small space with questionable organization, run by an older man reading in the corner who seems annoyed that you’re here.
They’re a romantic idea, one book lovers wax poetically about visiting. They’re fun to browse — at least for a few minutes. And they’re a terrible business model.
Most of those stores have closed in the last ten years, and my hot take is this: I’m completely fine with that. What do we owe our local bookstores? After all, they’re for-profit businesses. Why do we so often treat them like charities?
Here are five reasons that cute, quirky bookstore closed permanently, and why that’s just fine:
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