> Overall, I agree with the post, but don't you think that in order for
> indie bookstores to survive, they need an additional gimmick or
> source of income? When I was a buyer for a record chain, we were
> able to stock indie labels to our hearts desire as long as we kept
> the bills paid with selling the Top 100 and basic catalogue items.
> Most indies can't afford to do that. However, looking to the example
> I gave earlier of the gay bookstores that had wonderful indie and
> progressive selections because the videos in the back were keeping
> the stores afloat, wouldn't we have a better chance of indie
> survival if they added a profitable dimension, too?
Gimmicks do work and there are many indie bookstores that are pursuing them. The main hurdle, of course, is that the chains just kill you with their size and the breaks they get from economies of scale (and special deals with publichers). Adding a coffeebar to your indie bookstore won't help a lot if Barnes and Noble has opened in the neighborhood.
Vertigo Books was one of my favorite idependents in Washington, DC, but several years ago rising rents from gentrification forced them to move out to College Park. They had a bigger store, but a different clientele.
You could no longer drop by the bookstore after work to hear some author speak. Vertigo opted to sell more remaindered books at their new location.
Then there is the interesting reason why independent video stores still exist, which ties in with your comments about gay and lesbian bookstores. The primary reason why indie video stores exist is because they sell porn, adult videos. Blockbuster is run by puritans who refuse to carry adult content, so carrying adult content is one way for indie video stores to stay afloat.
Indie bookstores find ways to pay the rent so they can stay open. Some bookstores blessed with the right location carry textbooks. Location is a key factor in why some indie bookstores have survived the corporate onslaught.
> It sounds like the bookstore you're involved with is doing this very
> thing, diversifying it's objectives. This sounds like a key to
> longevity!
Yes, you have to be flexible. We plan to run a project that wears many different hats. We will be hosting social events, meetings by local groups, and art shows. Some of my anarchist comrades would have a heart attack if they saw our current collection of Marxist and socialist used books, which have been donated by local lefties who support our project. I think we will be helped by our low rent, our central location, and the fact that this metropolitan region of nearly 2 million people doesn't have anything like this within 250 miles.
Chuck0