Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | September 27, 2021 | wbjournal.com Bookstore e independent bookstore industry is growing with a loyal customer base wanting to shop local BY MONICA BENEVIDES Worcester Business Journal Senior Staff Writer revival A s people around the U.S. turned inward over the last year and a half, adjusting to virtual work calls, remote schooling, and Zoom birthday parties, consumers appear to have found a respite from the onslaught of technology dependence: reading. In June, the Association of American Publishers reported consumer book sales were up 17% year-to-date, bringing in $4.1 billion in revenue. Revenues across book categories were up 18.1%, bringing in $6.3 billion in the first six months of 2021. Although Amazon and other major retailers continue to dominate the book market, independent booksellers who adapted to changing economic and social conditions have been able to eke out a piece of that revenue pie, catering to a consumer base looking to both get away from screen time and support local businesses in their community, including those in Central Massachusetts. "One of the main things that really helped us at the beginning of the pan- demic actually was Amazon, because for five or six weeks they stopped shipping books," said Paul Swydan, owner and op- erator of e Silver Unicorn Bookstore in Acton. "ey chose to focus on the grocery delivery market, which they've been trying to get a stranglehold on for almost a decade. "If you wanted a book, you had to get it from somewhere else, and a lot of times that somewhere else was us," Swydan said. "So that really helped us grow our customer base." At the same time, some local book- sellers found a customer base looking for ways to entertain children who spent months glued to laptops and other de- vices during virtual school. at was the case for librarian and teacher Alyson Cox, owner of Word on the Street in Marlbor- ough, a children's bookstore she opened in October just months aer being laid off from her own job. "We were the kind of business people were looking for during the pandemic," Cox said. Her customers were sick of screentime and wanted to find board games, books, and other analogue ways to pass time. Double-edged sword "When it comes to independent bookstores, they are foundational in every community in which they sit," said Beth Ineson, executive director of the New England Independent Booksellers Association. Such stores tend to play active roles in the areas they set up shop, Ineson said, from sponsoring local sports teams to hosting community events. at desire to be part of their community is what drives many booksellers to set up shop in the first place, she said. While many were quick to adapt, building out their own ecommerce options or taking advantage of pre-ex- isting models available through industry groups, it was difficult to transition into functioning as a de-facto warehouse during pandemic-induced business clo- sures, Ineson said. ey had to be quick on their feet and open to adapting their business models, while pausing much of that in-person connection their sector is known for. ose who had rudimentary or no e-commerce option at all were tasked with developing and maturing their systems. ose who already had sophis- ticated online purchasing options leaned into that side of their business. Bookshop.org launched in January 2020 and works with bookstore affili- ates to help them fulfill orders directly through virtual storefronts. Per the website, bookstores receive 30% of the cover price of books sales they generate through the site, without having to do any of the backend business, like stocking and shipping. Secondly, Bookshop.org sets aside 10% of its regular sales into a pool of money it divides and then distributes to its independent bookstore affiliates twice a year. Central Massachusetts bookstores have hopped on the Bookshop bandwagon, including both Word on the Street and e Silver Unicorn. While neither has excessively hyped their affiliation and individual storefronts, both store owners said the biannual payout was a great perk Alyson Cox, owner of Word on the Street in Marlborough Word on the Street bookstore in Marlborough opened in October 2020 and found a customer base eager to shop. PHOTO/COURTESY OF WORD ON THE STREET

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