Hello, Independent Bookstore

I just want to open a bookstore.

It is the dream of many scholars. But it is also a dream that many scholars cannot bear.

In the Internet age, the dream of opening a physical bookstore becomes more distant and more illusory. It has become even less practical. More and more people, instead of physical bookstores, browse books in physical bookstores and order online, which has become the first choice for more and more readers. When online bookstores attract more and more readers' attention, what disappears is not only some small traditional humanistic bookstores, but also a kind of attitude and way of life.

The Internet is changing everything.

How many people are still clinging to their dream of opening a bookstore?

In our respective cities, there are Xinhua bookstores with the same name, which is also a feature of contemporary China. There is still a lot to be said about Xinhua Bookstore. What we want to talk about here is the existence of "independent bookstores" in contrast to "state-owned" group companies like "Xinhua Bookstore".

What is "independent bookstore", as the name implies, is the independence of the bookstore itself, is not attached to the "unit" and the individual or a few people partnership of cultural entity bookstore.

In fact, every independent bookstore scattered in the corner of the city has a long story; Every bookstore has its own life and death. Behind every bookstore is the dream and persistence of books of one generation or even several generations. How many book lovers have achieved how many independent bookstore dreams and legends.

As the joke goes, if you want to bankrupt your friend, let him open a bookstore. It's a joke, but it's also about the difficulty of running an independent bookstore.

Independent bookstores are actually the window of a city presenting cultural ecology. It is hard to imagine that there will be no humanistic bookstores or independent bookstores in a modern big city. It is also hard to imagine a bookstore becoming a symbol of a city. But there is no doubt that a highly civilized city must have a variety of independent bookstores.

What is the survival of such independent bookstores today?

Most independent bookstores are struggling. Others, in the form of "book bars", are adapting to the Internet age.

On the coldest day in my city after the winter this year, I didn't want to go out of the building where I was working at noon. However, I sat down in the morning and went out for a walk. So, came to the old street that small bookstore and "happy grocery store". The clerk said enthusiastically: It's cold today. Yeah. It's so cold. There were few people in the shop, and those who came in hurried out. The clerk said: You haven't bought many books from us this year. I said, "Yes, I haven't bought much from you this year." "Why? "Asked the clerk. I answer: this year, I went out to buy a lot in the field, some books in the field to buy. The clerk said: This year is not good, many people now come to the store to read books, and then go back to buy from the Internet. I said: Yes, now more people buy books from the Internet. But I stick to the bookstore, unless it's the big ones, and the ones that aren't in the store. The store in the east is not good this year either. Fewer and fewer people are buying books in the store. "There is a woman who comes here often. I asked her why she doesn't buy books often now. She replied:" I'm sorry, it's convenient and cheap to buy books online. She said she was embarrassed because she still likes to come to the store and see books she likes so she can go back and buy them." This is the truth, for the book buyer, the bookstore 15% discount and online 25% compared to the online is to send books downstairs, must choose the network.

Chatting with the shop assistant, the small bookstore is really difficult to do, is the need for something else to supplement. For example, "Shuba", referring to a moderately popular book bar, the clerk said, "I don't sell books. I just sell coffee. You'd still lose money selling books, but thanks to the coffee..."

"Now, we, our regular customers, come to buy books. You see, people like you have bought less this year." What the clerk said is the truth. A few days ago, I was looking at a book here. I wanted to buy it, but I hesitated to put it down after seeing that the price was too high. In fact, I buy books or don't pay much attention to the price, but encountered such a high price, or feel expensive.

Seeing the few books I "handled" and produced are still crowded on the shelves, I ask: How are these books selling? The clerk said, "Not so much. I sold a few." But this kind of book, now also people look good on the Internet order. "Now I don't even let them open the envelope, they open it and don't buy, they read the content and go back to order from the Internet..." There was emotion in the clerk's words.

The above is an entry I wrote on my blog last December. In fact, it also describes the ecological reality of independent bookstores in the city where I live. Of course, not all independent bookstores are struggling. There are difficulties, but also more development. There are closures, but there are also new openings. For example, the Bee Bookstore on Songzhuang Street in Beijing opens its door to book lovers in autumn when independent bookstores are in a state of desolation.

Independent bookstores break the dreams of book lovers.

Also in the achievement of the book lover's dream.

As a reader who loves paper books, I look forward to an independent bookstore forever.