Books, Community, Words, & You
The viability of niche African-American bookstores
Can it really be done? After the demise of Karibu Bookstore every one and their mama was screaming that Black bookstores could never make it in this day and age of “Big Box” retailers & e-tailers. Amazon…B&N…discounts, discounts, discounts! AAARGH!!! Actually, double AAARGH!!! Sorry, I needed to release that.
But why has it become “common knowledge” that small independently owned bookstores are incapable of competing with mega stores? I have my own theories on the subject that I hope to prove correct with the success of MahoganyBooks.com. However, I’d like to hear from the public about this subject and steer the conversation into the direction of being solution oriented.
Let’s answer these questions:
What would it take for a small niche bookstore to compete with today’s mega stores?
Is it really all about the discounts?
Are we truly comfortable with the selection of books being offered by these retailers?
And by extension, do we need to have our books “segregated” from all of the other books being published.
What services & features so we require as consumers with unique tastes and needs?
I don’t want to sway the conversation one way or the other, but I will launch the initial offensive into this touchy subject.
I live & grew up in the DC metro area where there are numerous boutique shops all around the area. Actually one of the great reasons to visit the area is for the shops in Georgetown, Adams Morgan, & Downtown DC is to find unique items that you can not find at the shopping mall. It’s even why big name apparel lines started developing their own boutique/niche shops. To provide their loyal customers with a deeper experience of the vision of their product lines. For example, Puma has boutique shops in mid to high-end retail locations like Tyson’s Corner Mall, as well as, Georgetown. Both locations attract serious shoppers who require an experience far deeper than, “what is the biggest discount I can receive?” There is also a store for runners, where they specialize in providing any and everything a runner would require for their specific sport. And trust me there are no discounts there. The proof is at the bottom of my closet, LOL.
With all that said, is not Foot Locker enough for tennis shoe purchasers? Or why does Oakley, Bose, or Coach need their own shops? All three of those items can be found in department stores all over. Do those items hold that much more value than books written for, by, and about African & African American people that the same business practices can’t be applied here?
I want to hear your thoughts.
Peace,
MahoganyBooks & The Lit Lounge
But why has it become “common knowledge” that small independently owned bookstores are incapable of competing with mega stores? I have my own theories on the subject that I hope to prove correct with the success of MahoganyBooks.com. However, I’d like to hear from the public about this subject and steer the conversation into the direction of being solution oriented.
Let’s answer these questions:
What would it take for a small niche bookstore to compete with today’s mega stores?
Is it really all about the discounts?
Are we truly comfortable with the selection of books being offered by these retailers?
And by extension, do we need to have our books “segregated” from all of the other books being published.
What services & features so we require as consumers with unique tastes and needs?
I don’t want to sway the conversation one way or the other, but I will launch the initial offensive into this touchy subject.
I live & grew up in the DC metro area where there are numerous boutique shops all around the area. Actually one of the great reasons to visit the area is for the shops in Georgetown, Adams Morgan, & Downtown DC is to find unique items that you can not find at the shopping mall. It’s even why big name apparel lines started developing their own boutique/niche shops. To provide their loyal customers with a deeper experience of the vision of their product lines. For example, Puma has boutique shops in mid to high-end retail locations like Tyson’s Corner Mall, as well as, Georgetown. Both locations attract serious shoppers who require an experience far deeper than, “what is the biggest discount I can receive?” There is also a store for runners, where they specialize in providing any and everything a runner would require for their specific sport. And trust me there are no discounts there. The proof is at the bottom of my closet, LOL.
With all that said, is not Foot Locker enough for tennis shoe purchasers? Or why does Oakley, Bose, or Coach need their own shops? All three of those items can be found in department stores all over. Do those items hold that much more value than books written for, by, and about African & African American people that the same business practices can’t be applied here?
I want to hear your thoughts.
Peace,
MahoganyBooks & The Lit Lounge
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