And Cyclops in Station North and Breathe Books in Hampden. What concerns me is that these indies are surviving (barely) because wonderful people are behind them. What happens in the next generation? As I have professionally switched camps from attending the American Booksellers Assoc annual conference to the Associated Writers Programs conference, I am stoked by the energy of young writers and editors, but wonder who is mentoring the next generation of booksellers.

And Red Canoe, which probably survives on muffins and love more than the sale of books.

Awww, thanks for the love!

I should mention that Lambda Rising (gulp, sniff) is going too. These guys were a model for how a bookstore could be a resource in education and the fight against discrimination. I applaud their accomplishments and their example - this was how an Indie Bookstore SHOULD do it. (My full eulogy for them is at my blog -
http://constellationbooks.blogspot.com/2009/12/end-of-era.html)

A small business has to be very nimble and very much in touch with what the customers want. It is a joy to see folks' eyes light up when they see an old favorite book or a new one on a local subject . Or a Baltimore Songwriters Association CD that they actually PLAYED on. :)

You all have done a great job with your choice of topics for the Blog- kudos to you.

The finances of Book Stores and many books- be they poetry, fiction, whatever is seldom delved into- Could you all maybe do it?

I mean, I assume that these enterprises (I know that with poetry) are marginal, often labors of love- seldom money makers.

But the nitty gritty- the spread sheet- of something like an Anne Tyler novel? How much does it make. I know we'd all be fascinated- since the name of the game is the benjamins in this land- but It's not explored, is it?

And of course- who would reveal it? Unless it was wonderfully successful- like a book by Tom Clancy?

Remember when Barnes and Noble moved in at the traffic circle in Towson and Borders died? What was the story there? Was it something like a shark invasion? But no one covered it.

I give you this assignment in 2010- the financial side of publishing- who makes money, who doesn't, who doesn't care?

I think it would be very interesting to us writers. ...we? writers? (Yhe object will be in the objctive case- aw shaddup)

The beauty of being an indy bookstore is that we can move fast to change direction, take advantage of trends and even start new trends! breathe books just celebrated five years on the Avenue in Hampden so we have learned a lot about what people want. In order to survive we will have to change the ratio of books to gifts, but since we have a good idea about what our customers want, we can curate books and carry the best of the best!
People really seem to respond to "buy local", but we need to be there for them as well. We can't just complain about big box stores, etc. We need to see what we can offer the customer. We need to be here for them just as much as they need to be here for us. And we will be!

Thanks, all, for pointing out some of the other vibrant local stores. One of the best nights I've had since starting the blog was at Susan Weis' Breathe Books, when Shalom Auslander gave a hilarious reading from book "Foreskin's Lament."
And David, I'd love to get closer to the financials, but the small shops are privately held and the big chains don't break out sales by store, So we're left guessing -- unless someone will volunteer to open the books. Any takers?