The Local Bookstore

Bailey Coy Books, one of my favorite neighborhood bookstores, is in the process of liquidating stock in preparation for its final closing. I went in last week to pick up a few discounted items. I felt a bit like a scavenger doing it especially given my buzzard like behavior of circling and circling around the shop to find the good "remains". They were even selling window display decorations. So sad...

I liked Bailey Coy because the shop was small and manageable, not at all claustrophobic and had a great spread of my favorite kinds of novel in an accessible and warm atmosphere. There is really something special about the small book store. I know that prices (of the more popular reads) are often cheaper online or at the local Walmart but, to me, buying books from Amazon is an uncomfortable last resort. The experience of book browsing gives so many people such fulfillment. I can spend hours happily strolling through the local bookstore -flipping through pages, reading the employee recommendation cards, checking out the bulletin boards to see if any of my favorite authors are coming to town. This business of buying books online is driving the local bookstores out of business. It is really unfortunate. There aren't that many places where you can gain so much for so little -an afternoon at a bookstore is both enriching and free.

Another bookstore in the city, one of Seattle's most beloved, Elliott Bay Book Company, may have to move out of its gorgeous Pioneer Square location because it can no longer pay the rent. Everyone seems quite disheartened about this development too (it really is a stunning book shop). I hope that this unfortunate trend can serve as a wake-up call for all the book-lovers out there. Let's remember to support our local bookstore by buying books there. It may cost a few extra bucks but the experience of soaking up book store wonder far outweighs the experience of a few mouse clicks.