9 Reasons To Shop At Your Local Independent Bookstore | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

9 Reasons To Shop At Your Local Independent Bookstore

Yes, sometimes Amazon is convenient but each independent has unique quirks which make the experience different and worthwhile. ​

Kimberly Burton
Jul 30, 2017
National Writers Society
268
9 Reasons To Shop At Your Local Independent Bookstore
Wikimedia Commons

No matter where you go on the Internet, there is no experience quite like stepping into an independent bookstore.

Why are they so awesome?

1. You are supporting a local business owner and his or her staff

By shopping at independent bookstores, you are helping your local economy.

2. That new book smell

E-books just cannot give that magical book smell.

3. Being able to attend book events

You can't meet an author just being online. By supporting independent bookstores, they are able to bring in authors of all genres for events like meet and greets and book signings.

4. The personalization of products and services

Looking for local authors or just great service? Independent bookstores can help you out with all of this.

5. The selection of things other than books

Independent bookstores are going to have unique items that other places may not like stationery, magazines and gifts. Sometimes, they have start-up magazines you have never heard of or local products.

6. Being able to skim/preview a book

You cannot always do this online, but if you aren't sure about a book, physical bookstores allow you check them out as you like.

7. Getting recommendations from a real person

Readers understand readers better than a website's algorithm. The staff is always willing to give you book advice, and some stores even have a Staff Picks' Section.

8. They cultivate a community and place to gather

Some independent bookstores have cafe areas, book clubs or writing clubs. These are all ways to meet new people in the community.

9. The total experience

Yes, sometimes Amazon is convenient, but each independent bookstore has unique quirks, which make the experience different and worthwhile.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

The 12 Stages Of Course Registration, As Told By "Friends"

No one best represents the struggle like our favorite 90s squad.

The State University of New York at Stony Brook
6729
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
registration
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

Hempstead, New York
4295
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
freshmen year
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

Florida International University
303043
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

11 Thoughts A Writer Has While Writing

Told through Parks & Recreation GIFs

Millennials of New England
2421
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
writers
Entertainment

13 Times April Ludgate Perfectly Explained College

Because who understands your bitterness better than April?

Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis
2134
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less
april ludgate

Trending Topics

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments