For the past 20 years a small group of around a dozen avid readers have met in various homes around Adelaide on the first Tuesday of every month, to discuss books. I count myself very lucky to be one of them.
We talk on all manner of topics and, some times, even about books. Our group is defined by many things, one of which is it's name. This has evolved over time and now alternates between Adelaide WORD - Women Out Reading & Drinking, and the oft more appropriate, Adelaide WORLD - Women Out Reading, Laughing & Drinking. (Early on, the acronym even had an "s" on the end which stood for Smoking but that's all in the past now, well nearly...) As you might imagine from these monikers, we don't take ourselves too seriously...
Strangely then, at a meeting a few months ago, a heated, well warmish, debate ensued about the Borders Bookstore demise and what that signified in our society. A few proud owners of kindles and ibooks, while sympathising with the loss, understood its inevitability. Others lamented the seeming trend of not only devaluing books as artifacts but (outrageously) the wonderfully indulgent past-time of browsing shelves in public spaces. We all agreed wholeheartedly that it's hard to replicate the experience of reading a child to sleep with an e-reader.
Recently, I read an article in the SMH on this topic in which Jeanette Winterson
(fantastic British author) was quoted as saying, "I'm wondering if the problem has not been in the retail or the independent niche book stores, but in fact the big leviathans in the middle that have just been sucking up everything the way whales suck up plankton … they were never interested in books anyway. This may be a renaissance for the independents.'' How insightful and metaphorically descriptive!
Being the advocate for small, locally-owned businesses that I am, upon reading that quote, I cheered. My mind leapt to small book shops of the future with mixed offerings that match the lifestyles of their communities... a new niche market set flourish in such village shopping precincts? Really?
Well, the possibilities for reducing overheads and stock warehouse and distribution costs would be maximised be emerging technologies such as on-Demand printing allowing retailers to have a huge backlist with little or no warehousing costs. Mmm.. by combining on-line, street retail and local offerings in a shopfront store, old fashioned customer loyalty might just ensure viability and profit. Really!
Now I can't wait for a small business owner or independent book store to locate in Port Adelaide and capitalise on such an opportunity. How about these for some combination ideas...
Cook & Book where Masterchef meets a Library
Look & Book... Multimedia and Local Gallery
Hook & Book... a Fish Cafe and Bookstore
Book & Play... a children's play cafe, toy store and book retailer/lender
Click Books... all on-line, including reading groups!
For me, just to be able to smell the print and the coffee when I walk in off the street... to use it as a venue for my reading group... to attend readings, and poetry, writing and self-publishing workshops... support a shop that partners with schools and kindy's to nurture the love of books, storytelling, imagination, music and play... a model business that also has an on-line retail outlet to support its cashflow... a local shop where the owner is interested in the stories and books of our lives!
In a town like Port Adelaide such a store would be seen as at least as important to the community as the product it sells. So come on independent bookstores how's about providing a bespoke service with a lot of hand-selling small print run, high value books, with a unique twist.
Adelaide WORD, one of many, many such reading groups, would support you!
