Target. Ah, Target.
One of the things I like best about small independent bookstores is that the owners’ touch can be felt throughout the stores. A smaller shop and a restricted buying budget means someone has to make choices about what to keep in stock. There will always be certain titles everyone has to buy and display (I have yet to find a general bookstore that turns its nose up at New York Times bestsellers) but once you get beyond those requisite big names, indie owners get to influence their clientele by picking and choosing the books they want to promote. That’s what gives these bookstores so much individuality and makes the experience so much richer than simply walking into any chain and getting bombarded by, well, everything.
Target stores should be the anti-Indie. They’re the opposite of everything we promote on this blog–they’re ubiquitous and sprawling and have huge volume sales. They’re also not bookstores–they’re department stores. But for that very reason, Target is able to take a similar “pick and choose” approach to promoting books and authors that small independent bookstores do. Read the rest of this entry »
Claire
Kim
