Big Changes in Small Bookstore Business

The book industry has undergone manic, significant changes in the last two decades. Until 20 to 30 years ago, independent bookstores were the only game in town. The rise of corporate chains changed everything. Independent sellers scrambled to rethink themselves as available space for competition shrank. Then the Internet changed everything again. Now, with Amazon.com cornering the market and with Borders on the verge of bankruptcy, the big chains are themselves being forced into a similar position. What’s more, e-readers and e-books are prompting consumers to change how they read and what they consider a “book” to be. Independent booksellers have been deeply affected by these changes. Some stores are surviving, some stores are going under.

In an effort to understand the evolutions of the bookselling industry and what it means to be independent in this industry, over the next week, we’ll be publishing interviews carried out with owners of independent North Baltimore bookstores.

Today, we’ll be hearing from Normal's owner Rupert Wondolowski.

How long has Normal's been in business? How long have you been its owner?

Normal's just celebrated its 20th anniversary last June 20. In bookstore years that's 50. When we opened, there were nine co-owners, myself being one of those nine. Now we are down to four: John Berndt, Alfred Merchlinsky, Walt Novash and myself.

How would you describe the changes over the last 20 years in the booksellers’ market? How has your own business evolved? 

We have been driven into more online sales due to Amazon and other internet sellers. So ironically, since Amazon has hobbled us, we have had to resort to selling on Amazon. Which means we almost make as much as we used to, but now we have to go to the post office constantly and Amazon gets a taste. We also have established more of a web presence with weekly group e-mails, a Facebook site and a Tumblr blog. Due to the internet making the common titles even more cheap and common, we also are tending to lean more toward collectable items or more unusual editions.

Do you see any difference between the strategies employed by the independent stores that have gone out of business and those by the stores that have survived? 

I can't imagine how any independent bookstores that sell new titles survive. Barnes and Noble are able to buy in such great quantity and undercut prices, the same with Amazon. As far as used bookstores, at least in the Baltimore area, it seems like the trend is more and more towards one-person shops.

What further changes do you anticipate?

We have been somewhat lucky, due to our diversity in selling vinyl LPs and CDs and DVDs. One change we'll probably be working on in the near future is having more items being available directly for sale on our website. We also have provided something a little extra with the store providing The Red Room with a free musical venue space. The Red Room is now internationally known and has weekly shows, which brings new people in and gives us a personality beyond retail. We also have always had a large local small press literature section, with our very own "house organ," The Shattered Wig Review.

In what ways do you think e-books will have an impact? What place might they have in independent stores? 

I think the first area that e-books will have a huge impact is with bestsellers and textbooks, stuff that people don't usually hang on to anyway. This will prevent a James Patterson/Tom Clancy landfill. I can't see how they'd fit into a used bookstore situation unless we delve into selling our own e-books or downloads of local authors.

Any thoughts on the so-called ‘death of the printed book’?

I myself can't conceive of the complete death of the printed book. I use the example of the publishers who printed "The Girl Who…" thriller series now putting out a deluxe hardbound slipcased edition of that trilogy.  Many, many, people already have read it, but there is that human longing to be close to something they love through tactile means. There is something magical about having a beautiful book with a well-designed cover on your bookshelf, in having bookshelves. I don't think every single human is going to shave their heads and live cross-legged in bare white rooms among their gleaming plastic devices.

Have you found that the rise of online retail to be a good thing for independently owned stores?

Overall, I think it has mainly harmed bookstores and robbed the last generation of the experience of seeking out culture in a real live neighborhood that maybe they're not familiar with. Inside those cultural portals are people who live for books and records and the shopper may even have conversations with these sellers about culture and new information may be exchanged. Through leaving the interface of their computer and the comfort of their home they may find books in the store they didn't even know about and might want to check out. In visiting the neighborhoods that the bookstores are in, like ours, they may see that there's a family run Trinidadian restaurant across the street. Another possible new experience!

How do you conceive of locally owned bookstores’ present relationship to its surrounding community? Is their importance different now than it has been in the past?

I may be old and sentimental (I am old and sentimental), but I've always found bookstores to be one of the arteries to the heart of a city or place. Whenever I go to a new place the first thing I do is hit the local bookstore - this is becoming a lot harder because they're closing down. Browsing in a local shop you get a feeling for place through the stock and the people coming and the conversations that take place. I hope people will always have a desire to seek out environments beyond their own home and computer screen.

Normal's Books and Records is located at 425 East 31st Street, Baltimore, MD