Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Bookstores



I love to read books and in retirement have really enjoyed finishing up a large number of books from my bookshelf. I enjoy reading, but I don't devour 10 books a week or anything close to that. I usually average 2-4 books per month depending on the weather and what other things I have going on at the time. I have enough books on my shelf to last a few years at the moment but continue to pick up books at thrift stores and garage sales to add to my collections. Printed books are still extremely popular with over 700 million sold last year. 

As much as I love books, I really love a great bookstore. I love browsing the aisles and looking for a good bargain or looking for a good story that I wasn't aware existed. I used to enjoy going to Waldenbooks or B. Dalton Books back in the days when there was one or both in every shopping mall. My wife would go off to shop the clothing and other stores and I would head to the bookstore and then stop in at Radio Shack. B. Dalton was started in 1966 and peaked with 798 locations in 1986. The chain was acquired by Barnes & Noble and in January 2010, Barnes & Noble closed the last remaining 50 B. Dalton stores. Walden books opened in 1933 as a book rental business. Books were rented for three cents per day to help people after the Depression who could no longer afford to buy books. Walden became a bookstore in 1962 and changed it's name to Waldenbooks in the 1970's. The chain was bought by Kmart in 1984 and then Kmart bought Border's books in 1992. In 1994, Kmart joined the two book businesses and at the time Waldenbooks had 1216 stores. By 2011, bookstores were in major decline and Borders filed for liquidation to close all bookstore locations.

A lot of mom and pop bookstores have also fallen over the years. Amazon and other online book sellers have killed a lot of the local bookstore business. I still enjoy going to Barnes & Noble bookstores. They are currently the largest bookstore chain in the country. They began in 1886 as Arthur Hinds & Company which then became Hinds & Nobel when Clifford Noble became a partner in 1894. They now have about 600 stores in operation. I like strolling the aisles of books and looking through their bargain section where you can find recent bestsellers for $6.99 or so. 

My all time favorite bookstore, that I have visited, is Powell's Books in Portland, OR. This store is amazing. It is the world's largest independent bookstore. It has new books, used books and antique books. Powell's has several floors of books and is one awesome place for a book lover to visit. I have been there twice and can't wait to get back. If I lived near this store, I think I would be in there several times a month. 

Do you have a favorite bookstore? Is is a local independent store or a chain store? Do you like a good bookstore or do you prefer to order online? Anyone else been to Powell's and will agree it is one great bookstore? Anyone else remember going to the mall bookstores back in the 80's and 90's? 




11 comments:

  1. I would like to visit Powell's and have ordered books online from them. If I entered their store/compound I might stay for days. My town used to have 4 bookstores until recently and now has only one, an independent, that is a loss for the town.

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    1. At least you still have one independent in town. Plan on a trip to Powell's. Every book lover needs to visit at least once!

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  2. Curiously I found myself blogging about books yesterday too. Wherever I get them from and in whatever form, they remain a vital part of retirement don’t they?

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    1. Reading books is a vital part of my retirement for sure. I like having one close at hand for those quiet times to relax and enjoy a good story.

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  3. I could have written this post about myself. I've been to all those bookstore chains including Powell's in Portland last fall. I guess I wasn't extremely excited about Powell's. It was just too big and too hard to browse. You really needed to know where you wanted to go or look for. As opposed to say B & N where all the books that interest me are generally in one or two rows. Probably the only detail where I differ is my to-be-read inventory. I have enough to last my lifetime.

    I still visit brick and mortar books stores when drug to the mall for a spousal shopping trip but these days I prefer to just shop online. I really like the Amazon feature that shows you the books others who looked at the book I'm currently looked at, also looked at. This often leads me to new authors or better books on the subject I'm interested in. I also like that I can easily read reviews or see a synopsis of the book's subject, all things I can't easily see when just browsing at the bookstore.

    For me, books have always made me feel wealthy in knowledge. I have a very large built in bookcase along an entire side of our family room full of books. That feeling is also why I still step inside physical bookstores, even if they aren't conducive to my shopping preferences.

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    1. Sounds like you have a great library in your family room. I'll have to check out that Amazon feature as I do buy a few books on Amazon for specific titles. Thanks for your comment.

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  4. I often visited those bookstores you mentioned in your opening paragraphs. Barnes and Noble is the last remaining big store now. However, I live in Portland and Powell's is just 4 miles from me. If you come to visit, plan a day, it's that big and the floors are color coded to find your subject of interest. I also visit our local library for books. There's nothing like turning the page of a good book. Enjoy the moment with a cup of coffee. Cheers

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    1. I enjoyed wandering around in Powell's and finding a half flight of stairs that led to yet another level. It just has a great bookstore atmosphere!

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  5. My wife used to work at a B. Dalton. But truth be told, we get most of our books from the library these days ... some of them (gasp!) electronically.

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    1. I like having the printed version in my hand to read. Ebooks have a big following and allow a person to carry a whole library on a simple tablet.

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  6. I just happen to stop in a small bookstore today in Houston. I found 1/4 Price Books at 3820 S Shepherd in Houston. I loved their sign which said "Headquarters for Thinkers". The gentleman running the place (owner?) said it is getting tough to stay in business. His store had a lot of one of a kind books and antique books. I browsed and was able to add one to my read pile. Check them out if you ever get to Houston!

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