BTW, the movie Better than Chocolate, set in Vancouver, has as its backdrop a customs fight involving a GLBT bookstore that’s based on Little Sisters. The proprietor is played by the Canadian author Ann-Marie MacDonald. Good move.
This reminds me of an ongoing discussion I’ve been having with my cousin. I tell him that I make a conscious effort to shop with small local businesses and not with chains, because I appreciate the relationship with the retailer (personal knowledge of things I like, general friendliness and recognition of the business I bring in, etc.)
My cousin says that the harsh reality of it is that people are more apt to be price-sensitive than value-add sensitive, which is why large chains are seemingly taking over. He said that if people were really appreciative of personal service and all the “intangibles” that a small local business brings to the table, they’ll vote with their pocketbooks and avoid the chains. He’s probably right.
Problem is, people often don’t consider what they’ve got until it’s gone. I use the example of a hobby shop that used to be in the center of the town in which I grew up. The owners of the shop knew every customer by name, what types of hobbies they were into, put together clubs consisting of enthusiasits, etc. A chain store moved in and basically put them out of business on price. Too many people took advantage of the value-add at the local store, but bought from the chain because of the lower prices. Next thing you know, everyone’s asking “Hey, where did the little hobby shop go? Where are we going to have our meetings of the remote control car club?”
In the case of your gay bookstore, matt_mcl, the worst part of the whole situation is that you’re losing a focal point for the gay community in your city. You’re losing it because people don’t feel enough loyalty to Androgyny to pay a few extra bucks here and there in exchange for the contributions it makes to the gay community. And that’s a shame.
Personally, I think independent retailers need to do a better job of informing their customers about why they should shop there as opposed to shopping at the chains. I’m sure many local gay people in your community, matt_mcl, are cognizant of the value that Androgyny brought to the table and didn’t want to see it close. But it’s important to make sure that these same people recognize the competitive threats to the store and remain loyal to it if they want to preserve what it stands for.
It’s frustrating, I know. That’s why I tell my fellow musicians they need to be conscious of their behavior if they go down to First Flight music on the East Side to demo a new guitar, but buy it from the Musician’s Friend catalog. If everyone did that, First Flight would be out of business pronto. And then all the local guitar-slingers would be bitching.
Thank you, THespos, for saying what I would have said had I been somewhat more coherent. For more information and polemics on the situation, I recommend Alison Bechdel’s excellent Dykes To Watch Out For, which frequently deals with the problems of independent bookstores (as a small-press author, she knows whereof she speaks.)
I learned a lot about the plight of independent bookstores through Dykes…, Matt.
Because of that, if I want to buy a mystery, I go to Mysteries to Die For locally, and not either of the big chains. The women there are always helpful and knowledgable and have good suggestions (they’ve not misled me yet…)
to the loss of L’Androgyne
And here’s the other question: where the fuck am I supposed to get Dykes To Watch Out For now, anyway? It’s not like the big bookstores carry them.
Argh.
[sub](I was going to say, Where the fuck can I get Dykes now, but I gather that certain elements would find this comical.)[/sub]
Um.
Please don’t hurt me, but my local Borders (evil place, I know) has Dykes.
On the shelves, even.
matt, this just sucks.
We lost our “gay bookstore” here in Madison years ago, but at least ours burned down rather than being hounded out of business by evil chains. We are still fortunate to have a “women’s bookstore” (A Room of One’s Own) which has a large selection of lesbian-oriented titles and which can special-order pretty much anything that’s in print. I’ve read a few articles in the last year about some American gay bookstores closing and the mixed feelings that it brings, losing the community asset on the one hand versus the supposedly increased acceptance that having sections in chain stores represents. I don’t get the mixed feelings at all. There is no comparison between the depth of knowledge and selection at a dedicated store and the shelf or two that Waldenbooks or Borders or even (the best for this locally) Barnes and Noble will allow. Anyone who thinks that the loss of these independent stores is not an unvarnished tragedy for the community is IMHO foolish.