With the rise of e-readers and other digital technologies, the existence of bookstores and libraries has been threatened. Even Amazon's slow takeover of the book market is contributing to the decline of independently-owned bookstores and the downsizing of larger chains such as Barnes and Nobles.
As an e-reader advocate myself, I have nothing against e-books—in fact, I love the way my Kindle allows me to keep a veritable library of books in one small, slim tablet instead of lugging around multiple heavy and bulky hardcover books. Not to mention, I can transfer these books to the Kindle app on my phone and iPad and toggle between all these devices for convenience. So yes, I'm a huge proponent of e-readers.
That being said, there's still a need for brick-and-mortar bookstores. My visit to such a bookstore this past week only affirmed my belief that brick-and-mortar bookstores have a special purpose to serve that cannot be replicated by anything else. What these places provide, essentially, is an experience.
However much I love the convenience and speed of browsing the Kindle library, it's a far cry from browsing the shelves of a bookstore. It can't replicate the feeling of running your fingers along the spines of books, of reading titles with curiosity and choosing one on a whim. It can't compete with being able to flip a book open to the middle and skim a passage for the quality of writing. The Kindle library won't let you plop down on the floor, legs criss-cross-applesauced for hours as you read a book the whole way through.
It doesn't provide handwritten notes with employee and reader recommendations taped to specific books. It doesn't provide you with the opportunity to bump into other readers, exchanging compliments with them as you both continue on your individual literary journeys. E-bookstores don't gift you whimsy, or chance, or exploration. Instead, you simply search the title you want to buy, and then you buy it. Granted, they do give you recommendations based on your purchases, but if you're a voracious reader, you're probably already aware of these options.
Stepping into a bookstore is like stepping into a whole new world, a world that contains infinite worlds inside of it. It's a safe place, a peaceful place. It's a refuge and an escape. It's the place to pick up a cookbook, a graphic novel, a literary thriller. It's a place to step outside your comfort zone and simultaneously feel at home. A place where fellow book-loving employees have carefully curated book exhibits to display books around a certain theme. It's personalized and yet universal. Bookstores have a magic quality to them that simply can't be replicated.
I know I'll be more frequently visiting independently-owned bookstores in the future, and I urge you to do the same. These amazing places need all the support they can get—and we need all the magic they bring into an otherwise ordinary day.
