Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | April 29, 2019 | wbjournal.com F O C U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S Bookworms In the era of technology and big box and online retail, independent bookstores have thrived BY GRANT WELKER Worcester Business Journal News Editor I ndependent bookstores weathered formidable chains like Walden- books and B. Dalton, which were bookstore mainstays at malls across the country, and survived through the expansion of Walmart, Target and other big-box retailers adding more books to their offerings. ey carried on through the growth of Amazon from a relatively smaller player in retail to the behemoth it is today, as well as the proliferation of ebooks, which made reading cheaper and more portable than ever before. Independent bookstores haven't gone away. ey pack the calendar with poetry readings, author signings and book clubs, and supplement their bookshelves with cafes and gis. ey rely on the shop-lo- cal movement and, perhaps most of all, on the desire of enough bookworms to buy a book from a small, local seller instead of doing so – probably more cheaply – online. "ere always seemed to be something on the horizon that would be something that we wouldn't be able to survive, but the good news is that bookstores are ex- traordinarily resilient," said Oren Teicher, the CEO of the American Booksellers Association. "Against all odds," Teicher said, "we're still here." A spiritual thing Nicole DiCello opened Bedlam Book Cafe in Crompton Place in Worcester last fall, building on a lifelong interest in books. DiCello, who grew up in the Midwest and moved to Worcester five years ago, faced a career change and was having little success landing a job. Finally, she decided to combine her love for books with offering a place for younger people who she worried wouldn't have the same book discovery opportunities she had. DiCello wanted a place in Worcester with some character – a destination like the Crompton Place, she said. Fortuitously, a storefront with towering windows, exposed brick and hardwood floors opened up in the renovated mill, and it was hers for the taking. Bedlam has a cafe with smoothies, juices and coffees. at creates a draw, but most of the customers who pass through the door are starting a scaven- ger hunt for used books, wanting to leaf through a book they forgot they wanted to read, or coming upon an old classic. "at's why I love books," said DiCello, who runs Bedlam with her life partner, Patrick Warner. "ey're a spiritual thing." DiCello compares the return-to-books trend to the slow-food movement: a move toward the opposite of fast food, of prioritizing healthy food with more of a connection to the environment and the sensory enjoyment of eating good food. About once a week, she said with pride, someone will walk through the door, inhale deeply and enjoy the nostalgic scent of a bookstore. "ere's something calming and grounding about reading a book," she said. DiCello isn't the only one in Central Massachusetts who's bet her business on that lasting desire from enough readers to browse and buy books in person. She's joined by, among others, Annie's Book Stop in Worcester, Bearly Read Books in Sudbury and Enchanted Passage in Sutton. Debra Horan opened Booklovers' Gourmet in Webster in 1995 – the same year Amazon began selling books. e business may have appeared doomed, but it has survived thanks to a busy calendar of events and what Horan said is a community strongly supporting small businesses. "When they started selling," Horan said of Amazon, "I think people realized, 'If I want to see these places stay around, I need to support them.'" More so than when she started, Horan relies on local artwork, greeting cards and other gis to get people in the door. Oen enough, she said, they buy a new or used book, too. In Westborough, Tatnuck Bookseller moved into a former Stop & Shop space in the Westborough Shopping Center 15 years ago. Tatnuck has broadened its offerings since then to what today is an even mix of books and other merchandise like toys, jewelry and candles, said Charles Napoleon, the store's general manager. e 32,000-square-foot store has an event space hosting author talks, and sets aside places for people to sit down comfortably to browse a book. "We've kind of reinvented ourselves," Napoleon said. 50% rise in independent bookstores ose adjustments have been nec- essary for independent booksellers to continue to find their niche, said Beth Ineson, the executive director of the Cambridge-based New England Nicole DiCello opened the independent Bedlam Book Cafe in the autumn, com- bining her passions for books and the future of reading. Ancillary income streams like the cafe at Bedlam Book Cafe have been vital to the success of independent bookstores. PHOTOS/GRANT WELKER

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