Bookstore Survival

Competition against chains is tough and independents need niches to stay afloat.

By TJ Buck

It ain't easy keeping an independent bookstore open.

With the state of the economy and the corporation big boys hovering on the landscape, just surviving is an accomplishment.

Finding a niche, a specialty, is the key for independent bookstores, according to several store owners in Tucson.

Local writer Kimi Eisele reads her essay in the new anthology, "Cuba in Mind" during a recent book signing at Reader's Oasis. Photo courtesy of Tucson Citizen

"Nobody would ever do this to get rich," said Christine Acevedo, co-owner of Clues Unlimited, a mystery bookstore at 123 S. Eastbourne Ave. "We're surviving after eight years, but the economy has gotten to where it's tougher than it used to be.

"I think with independent bookstores in general, it is too hard to fight against the chains that can carry more than you and can undersell you," Acevedo said. "The only way an independent can survive is in specialization. If you find your niche, and that is what defines you, you'll be okay."

Charlene Taylor of Reader's Oasis, 3400 E. Speedway Blvd., agreed and added that selling related items, such as greeting cards, journals, and gift items, helps the stores survive.

"We are hanging in there. Doing pretty good," Taylor said. "You have to be flexible. Besides books, we sell journals, greeting cards and various gift items. The big hit was a few years ago when the big chains moved in, that hurt general bookstores. The specialty stores were better able to survive."

Taylor and her partners bought Reader's Oasis in 1986.

"We never regretted it for a minute," Taylor said. "It has been great. It is a lot of work, but it is rewarding and a lot of fun."

Selling used books also has been a boon for the store.

"We are now carrying used books," Taylor said. "We take books for trade credit then sell them as used books. That has been financially very helpful, and customers like it a great deal.

Cooperation among the local stores also has helped.

"All of the independents are trying to cooperate," Taylor said. "I talk to the people at Antigone and the other stores to make sure we don't have conflicting dates and times for book signings or events. That way we can all do better."

Customers of independent bookstores seem to be a loyal bunch and appreciate the niche markets they serve.

"The larger stores can't stock such a wide variety of titles," said Kate Nicolosi, 53, of Tucson, a regular at Clues Unlimited. "The selection of mysteries here is larger than any chain."

John Leonard, 68, also of Tucson, enjoys the personal touch that independent stores provide.

"Most of the books I am interested in are out of print so independent bookstores are where I hunt," said Leonard while at Reader's Oasis. "It is a much more personal feeling, plus the fact that the stores are locally owned is always a consideration."

Two independent bookstores are striving to make downtown Tucson a place where people want to spend time and money.

Biblio, at 222 E. Congress St., is one of the newer independents in town, and owner Maggie Goldston is committed to the area and the store.

"We are having a great time," she said. "We're small, but we're cool. For us it is important to see the literary scene as tied to the rest of the downtown arts scene. We maintain a small but specialized inventory."

Biblio, which will be two years old in October, specializes in poetry, cultural studies, music, film, graphic novels, and eclectic fiction, and it offers no bestsellers.

"Because we don't stock bestselling authors, we have room for new, different, interesting stuff," Goldston said. "A lot of people come in here and want to talk about books. We enjoy that kind of intimacy with customers. The store has a community-based ethic to it."

Antigone Books, a fixture north of downtown at 411 N. Fourth Ave., began as a women's bookstore, and switched to a more general focus, according to co-owner Trudy Mills. Kate Randall is the other owner.

"People may think of us as a feminist bookstore, but we are more eclectic, more political. We have seen a shift in the customer base," Mills said. "The majority are still women customers, but there is more of a mix now."

To Susan, a customer at Antigone who declined to give her last name or age, shopping at independent stores is a duty.

"There are too few stores like this," Susan said of Antigone. "We must do everything we can to keep it."

Another customer at Antigone, Lucinda Young, 51, of Tucson agreed.

"I believe in independent bookstores," Young said. "I like the fact that there is a sense of a literary and intellectual esthetic."

Trinity Bookstore, a Christian-based store at 3801 E. Fort Lowell Road, has succeeded primarily because of its specialization.

"We are doing okay because we are a niche market, a Christian bookstore," owner Donna Scott said. "Independents everywhere always have to be on their toes. Overall, we are hanging in there and have steadily grown. The name of the game for independent bookstores is to find a niche."

Once that niche is established, independents can thrive.

"We have a tremendous amount of repeat business," Scott said. "Word-of-mouth is the best advertising of all. We have been here 19 years, so we are pretty well established. Plus, we sell music, gifts, statuary, and books that you might not find anywhere else."

Bernice Barth, 82, Tucson, a customer at Trinity, enjoys the atmosphere of the store.

"It is a spiritual place," Barth said while shopping for a new rosary.

(c) Tucson Citizen 2004