How to Find Local Bookstores

Most books today are sold either through one of the large chain booksellers or through an Internet outlet. This makes the small local bookstore with its knowledgeable staff and personal service something of an anachronism. Independently owned local bookstores are not extinct, but they may be hard to find.

There was a time when book lovers could find vendors of not only mainstream novels and cookbooks but every conceivable subcategory of reading material. Those days seem to be over, whether because of the competition from chain bookstores or from the Internet or simply the migration to eBooks. Local independent bookstores still exist, however, in almost any community. To ferret them out, try these simple steps.

• Think first whether what you actually need is one of the chain stores. Their economies of scale make popular titles far less expensive there than at an independent. Look on the appropriate web site if you need to find a chain store. Usually there will be a link called “store locator.” You click, enter your zip code and get the address of one or more of their locations.


• If you are part of a reading circle, a book group or a study group, ask the other members where they get their books. Word of mouth referrals usually come with valuable additional information. Your contact may tell you that a particular store is great for literature but does not carry cookbooks, or that the most convenient parking is hidden behind the store. You cannot get that kind of information from an advertisement.


• Search the Internet. Most mapping applications that offer driving directions will also search for particular types of business. This will supply you with a map showing every bookseller within a fifty-mile radius. Be careful, though, as not all book stores will carry the type of book you are looking for. When in doubt, a telephone call may save you time.


• Check the commercial section of the telephone directory. These are paid advertisements, of course, and very small stores may not have them. There will be a few, though, tucked between the display ads for the megastores.


• Ask at your local library. The staff there know where to find stores dealing in collectible books and small press issues. They can also tell you where to trade your paperbacks and if there are book booths in your local flea market.


• Look for notices on the bulletin boards at community colleges. The stores that pay students too little for their used books also handle other merchandise. For certain purposes, the schools own bookstore may be useful, although not all are open to the public.

Independent local bookstores are becoming rare, but they are by no means extinct. Their biggest problem is the same as yours: how to help customers find them. Once you have, though, the level of service you will encounter means that you will never want to lose track of that store again.