Friday, December 17, 2010
My Perfect Morning at the (Independent!) Bookstore
I have several times blogged about the importance of supporting independent bookstores, most recently in my 12/1/10 post urging readers to buy their holiday gifts at bookstores. I have been following my own advice the past couple of weeks with several visits to two of my favorite indy bookstores, Books, Inc. (in Laurel Village in San Francisco), and Book Passage (in Corte Madera, near where I live in Marin County), where I have purchased several book gifts with great satisfaction. As an example of the joys of shopping in indy bookstores, let me describe a recent morning visit to Book Passage, a beautiful, spacious, airy, bustling, friendly bookstore. I took my gift list, but I had some uncertainty about what to buy a certain relative. I browsed a bit, found a couple of possibilities, but then asked the wonderful Janelle a question about a certain genre of books, to get some leads. She immediately started asking me further questions about the person and what she usually liked to read, began thinking, and eyeballed certain shelves for ideas. She had an ah-ha moment of inspiration and took me to the book, explaining why she thought it might be appropriate. It was perfect! Then she had another idea, and again explained the story and why it might be a good match. Again, it was perfect! Both were books I had very peripherally heard about, but had never read, didn't know much about, and wouldn't have thought of on my own. Janelle did all this cheerfully, with genuine engagement and apparent pleasure in the task, and never made me feel she was in a hurry to finish or do something else. To me, she epitomized what is wonderful about independent bookstores: she was extremely knowledgeable about books, helpful, and generous with her personalized attention. Another bookstore employee wrapped my gifts (such a boon for a terribly clumsy -- and a bit lazy -- gift wrapper like me!) I browsed a little more, and then finished my morning at Book Passage with a delicious latte and the newspaper in their cafe. Now that is my kind of morning!
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Sounds like a lovely morning, Steph. Do you remember when the original Borders in Ann Arbor was still such a store? At its (local) peak, it was an amazing place--walls and walls of dark wood shelves, with every book imaginable, lovely wooden benches inviting people to linger. Each department was headed by an expert in the field (often with a graduate degree). Prospective employees had to take extensive tests. I have to say that I do still, for the most part, patronize Borders--because it is based here in town, because it is my habit, because I still think of it as our hometown bookstore, and because there has never been an independent bookstore in town I liked nearly as well as the original Borders. But nowadays it's indistinguishable from many other chains. It seems to employ very pleasant but not especially knowledgeable people. And the inventory is not nearly as deep as it once was, to say the least. The other day I went into the children's department to look for books for my granddaughters, and there seemed to be almost as many toys as books!
ReplyDeleteMary, I do remember that about the original Borders in Ann Arbor...how very cool and special it was. I remember being so disappointed later when it became a big chain. But if I lived in Ann Arbor, I would go there too, because of all the reasons you mention.
ReplyDeleteGreat description of shopping at an indy bkstore! I frequent a few in Brooklyn: Greenlight in Ft. Greene, Book Court in Cobble Hill, Nameless Bookstore in Prospect Heights and Community Bookstore in Park Slope where I live. I recently went to Greenlight where I saw a collection of short stories, Quiet as they Come, by Angie Chau, a Vietnamese American writer I hadn't heard of. When I took it to the cashier, the young woman working there was very enthusiastic, telling me about the writer, who had done a reading at the store, and the collection. As you recounted in your post, it's wonderful to be in the presence of fellow readers and that's one of the many aspects of indy bkstores we love. BTW, I recommend the Chau collection.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sarah! Next time I come to NYC, I would love a tour of those independent bookstores in Brooklyn! And thanks for the recommendation of Angie Chau's work...I will look for it.
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