More press, and a little about being indie

More press today for the bookstore, the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative, and the party. Joyce Shelby of the New York Daily News wrote this great piece:

"Ft. Greene booklovers court indie bookstore with soiree, readings"

I like the quote she picked from me:

"The level of support expressed by this community, before the store has even opened, is completely unique in my experience in the book industry," Stockton Bagnulo said.

And the one from my co-conspirator Mike Gross is great too:

"We're very excited about an independent bookstore, locally owned, that can be flexible and responsive to the needs of the community," said Mike Gross. He's co-chairman of the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative.

And I love the word soiree...


Additionally, the New York real estate blog The Real Deal has this post:

"Fort Greene wants new independent bookstore"

I'm grateful for their notice. But I do find it odd that they have the words "independent bookstore" link to a two-year-old article by Tyler Cowen in Slate about the "death of independent bookstores." Not only is the piece out of date, it kind of misses the point. I commented on the piece at the time on my Written Nerd blog; you can see my post here:

"Books, Blogs, and Anti-Indie Backlash"

The point of my post is that Cowen and others who have said snarky things about indie bookstores are right in one sense: being an independent doesn't make you a great bookstore, and there's no reason to look down on book lovers who don't have the option of shopping local. But I think independent bookstores have the potential to offer more than any chain bookstore or online option could ever give: community, culture, real live interactions with authors, the serendipitous discovery of a book you love at the suggestion of a knowledgeable bookseller, a distinctive and appealing space for browsing. And I think there is an ethical component to how we spend our dollars: when you support local business, local business thrives, making your neighborhood a unique place and putting more money back into local economies.

So I'm not too worried about Slate's doubtfulness. The readers of Fort Greene seem to know what they want, and what they want is an indie bookstore!