What Do Independent Bookstores Offer That Chains Don't?

As it turns out, a lot.

But first, a little history on how Laredo views chains and independents, at least from my perspective.

Laredo seems, to me, very different now than it was when I was growing up. I didn't run barefoot across unpaved roads like my parents did, but I distinctly remember the many parts of town that were undeveloped. Just monte--hard-packed dirt and scrub brush. I remember the joy we three kids had on our family trips to San Antonio, 150 miles away. Our first stop upon entering the city was always Olive Garden. The restaurant shared the parking lot with Ingram Mall, and I remember being delighted by the big Shepler's Boot sign.

San Antonio was the land of chains, and we loved it. It was American Eagle and Abercrombie, Red Lobster and Texas Land & Cattle. We'd stay at the Drury Inn, which we called the Dreary, or sometimes at the Omni or Doubletree or Marriott. We'd shop and eat for two days and then go home, full and happy.

I remember when Laredo got an Olive Garden. It, too, shares a parking lot with a mall. Red Lobster, Logan's Roadhouse, Sirloin Stockade, and Long John Silvers occupy the same stretch of asphalt. I remember when we got a McDonald's almost around the corner from my house, and then--cue the trumpets--Starbucks came into town. In high school, I adored the feeling of sitting in Starbucks, gossiping with girlfriends, and drinking some sugary caffeinated concoction. I felt as though I was growing up, and Laredo was, too.

In a lot of ways, I think chains coming into town gave Laredo some kind of validation. It made us feel like we were joining the rest of the world, becoming a "real" city. It wasn't until I moved to the Austin area in 2002 that I became charmed by independently owned restaurants, boutiques, antique shops, and bookstores, that I began seeing their unique value.

Now to answer the title question of this post: What do independent bookstores offer that chains don't?

According to several studies explored in an article on Book Passage Bookstore's website--which can be found at http://www.bookpassage.com/content.php?id=95--locally owned businesses "generate a 70% premium in local economic benefit."

In California last year, the number of in-store author appearances at indie bookstores was more than 4,000. In the same year, indie bookstores donated more than $100,000 to local community organizations. They employed more than 3,000 people, and the sales taxes collected and paid to support schools, social services, and public agencies totaled more than $10 million. How about Amazon.com? Zeros to all of these questions.

I know, I know--Amazon.com isn't exactly a chain. But consider this bit of information from the article:

"In 2002 a study was commissioned in Austin, Texas, to compare the comparative economic benefit to the community of Bookpeople, an Austin independent bookstore, and Waterloo Records, a local music store, with a proposed Borders store that threatened to drive both out of business. The study looked at the local economic impact - i.e. the degree to which money from each business flows back into the local economy. The study concluded that for every $100 of money spent at Borders $13 flowed back into the community in wages, expenditures, taxes, etc. With the independents, however, the comparable figure was $45. In other words, the two independent stores yielded more than three times the local economic impact."

Consider these figures from a similar study in Chicago:

"For every $100 in consumer spending with a local firm, $73 remains in the Chicago economy.
For every $100 in consumer spending with a chain firm, $43 remains in the Chicago economy.
For every square foot occupied by a local firm, local economic impact is $179.
For every square foot occupied by a chain firm, local economic impact is $105."

I'm convinced. How about you?

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post! I'd love to hear your thoughts. And thanks to Annette for pointing me to this article!