How Indie Is “Indie” Anymore?
I do like a good independent book shop, I alsways have done ever since my youth and many happy hours spent in Baggins Book Bazarre in Rochester.
This was a truly independent store, rickety and run by a lone bloke, but these days independent book shops may not be so independent anymore!
The Illusion of Independence
Behind the cozy displays and indie vibes, you’ll often find a web of corporate ownership - take Book Retail Midco Limited, for example, which is owned by US billionaire Paul Singer, via Elliott Investment Management.
These shops are individually quirky, but the ownership is anything but.
From a business angle, it’s clever. You get to hang onto the brand’s charm while reaping the benefits of big-scale operations. Customers who want to avoid giant corporations are lured in by the local feel even though, behind the scenes, it’s just another big player in disguise.
There is nothing at all ilegal about this, but it's defo dishonest!
Ownership and Consumer Morality
Buying books isn’t just a transaction for a lot of people.
So when ownership sways spending habits, hiding who actually owns the shop is shady even if it makes sense financially.
Marketing is one thing. Misdirection is another. If a shop acts local and independent, people are going to assume their money stays nearby. But if the final say belongs to a global investment firm, that story falls apart.
Reality Bites...
However the harde truth is that, without big money behind them, many of these shops wouldn’t be here at all.
We may be getting the feel of a boutique, but it’s all bankrolled by big money.
Final Thoughts.... does it matter...?
If Waterstones still has passionate staff, hosts author events, and supports local readers, does it matter who’s cashing the checks?
And if having our cosy nooks require a little corporate backing who cares?
We have David's in Letchworth who also do music and have a cafe. I expect it's tough to compete with the big chains, but they will have loyal customers. I've found service in Waterstones to be good so I think the staff do care.
I've generally found the staff in Waterstones to be pretty good too!
We have no independent book shops around and the only ones I tend to get attracted to are the second hand bookshops which are also getting harder to find today.
It's a sad decline!
The younger generations don't seem to read like we did and social media does not count because they are not improving their education and it is like they have stopped learning. It is hard to see what makes people tick these days as a good book made you think and kind of relax and escape.
It is nearly impossible to run an independent bookshop these days.
I think if you are able to have a local bookshop at all, you're already winning.
One of the major advantages of an independent bookshop is their search facilities, these are far superior to Waterstones. We would also get out of print and rare books for people.
Secondhand bookshops seem to be doing reasonably okay, if they can get a bit enough space to make it worthwhile.
I think it's one of those things which you have to run as a hobby, you probably couldn't live off it if you had a family to support and/ or a mortgage to pay!
I had to get a second job!
Nostalgia for Baggins Book Bazarre is interesting. Love the rickety charm.