Read Widely, Buy Locally
I have done it. Most likely you have, too. It is so easy. Maybe you’ve heard about a book that sounds interesting and you find it on Amazon, read some reviews by people who are often paid to give their opinions, and with one click you have bought the book and it will be delivered to your door. Or perhaps you have been seduced by the size of a Barnes and Noble. Bigger must be better, right? In you go, wander around, searching, waiting for a friendly face to give you some attention and assistance and you often wait in vain.
Those of us concerned about this issue might be fighting a rearguard action against forces that cannot be stopped. But we must be willing to go down swinging because we as a nation are on the verge of losing a precious resource: the local bookstore.
I recently spoke with Jane Hanauer, the proprietor of Laguna Beach Books, who alerted me to some alarming trends. When they opened in 2006, there were 6,000 independent local bookstores across the nation. Today there are 2000. This mirrors Laguna’s decline from three bookstores when my wife and I moved here in 2001 to just one today. But it is a magnificent one, as are so many fighting to stay afloat in today’s online, big box store world.
Growing up in Santa Ana in the 1950s, my mother or grandmother would often take me to a small bookstore on Fourth Street. I remember the warm smile of the owner when we walked in as a small bell attached to the book tingled. There was no rush. We could touch, browse, and sit down with our books. Looking back, since it was Santa Ana in the ’50s, there seemed to be a lot of books on the dangers of communism, like “The Naked Communist.” There was also a hearty supply of books on the power of religion and positive thinking. Oh, well, that was then.
I was too young to realize it, but small bookstores gave us a sense of community. I always felt a sense of warmth and welcome from the husband and wife who ran the store. Is it too much of a dream to think we can recapture just a little of those feelings as we shop today?
The great writer Ann Patchett says local bookstores are “a place to raise up readers.” Ms. Hanauer proudly points out that 25 percent of their sales are children or young adult titles. As a former teacher, I cannot tell you how important it is to engage children in reading as soon as possible. And I don’t mean on a Kindle!
A few more words about Laguna Beach Books and local bookstores in general. They are so much more than sellers of books. They have open mic nights, poetry readings, book clubs, authors, both locally and nationally known. Not so long ago I had the pleasure of meeting Jefferson Parker at Laguna Beach Books, whose “Laguna Heat” remains one of my favorite books. We both lived in Tustin and went to Tustin High and both had the good sense to flee to Laguna Beach, where the view is better, the air is fresher and the smell of Birch is much less evident.
When I asked Ms. Hanauer why she believed local bookstores are crucial, she replied, “They help to define the town.” Count me among those who want to help define Laguna Beach as something special rather than help the tight-fisted Jeff Bezos get yet more money.
As I concluded my talk with Ms. Hanauer, I walked from the back room toward the front door, passing the 20,000 tittles, seeing mothers with young children and seeing a customer with two large, well behaved dogs laying at her feet. Everyone was being helped by smiling employees.
So, it may be easier to buy on Amazon with one click, but you are missing a great deal. Leave Laguna Beach Books and turn left and you can buy vinyl from Sound Spectrum, turn right and visit a dozen shops or dine at Sapphire, maybe even talk to the spinning guy at the corner Coast Highway and Brooks, one of the nicest residents of our town.
What makes Laguna Beach special is that we are a community. We are not our neighbor to the north. Let’s support our community and communities like ours by buying books locally.
Author James Utt is a retired high school history teacher who lives in Laguna Beach.
