Recent changes in the book industry”” including the bankruptcy of Borders Group Inc.””have impacted local bookstores, but not necessarily in a bad way.
That”™s the message that the American Booksellers Association (ABA), based in White Plains, wants to get out. Oren Teicher, CEO of the association, said the popular narrative is that independent bookstores are struggling.
“The perception is that independent bookstores either got swallowed up by the big guys””like Barnes and Noble and discount stores including Sam”™s Club and Wal-Mart””or found they could not compete with Amazon. But like Mark Twain once said, rumors of our death have been grossly exaggerated.”
He points to sales figures. The association”™s 1,600 members reported an 8 percent jump in book unit sales in 2012 over the previous year.
The Village Bookstore at 10 Washington Ave. in Pleasantville is one ABA member that has seen its sales increase.
Roy Solomon bought the 40-year-old bookstore with his wife Yvonne van Cort in 2003. He said sales steadily increased until 2011.
“That January Borders was in bankruptcy and they started to sell books at deep discounts.” His store began to suffer. Between the bookstore giant”™s liquidated merchandise and the growing popularity of eBooks, The Village Bookstore”™s sales fell nearly 13 percent.
When Borders in Mount Kisco was shuttered in October 2011, he said, some reports said former patrons of the megastore would be forced to use Amazon as their only alternative. But Solomon said he wasn”™t willing to wave his white flag. He forged ahead and in time the Pleasantville store, which also sells greeting cards, rebounded with an 8 percent increase in sales.
Solomon credits part of the success of the 1,000-square-foot shop to its proximity to the Jacob Burns Film Center across the street. The center brings in “lots of foot traffic” that contributes to the bustling atmosphere of Pleasantville”™s main avenue.
Both a resident of Pleasantville and an invested merchant, Solomon understands the importance of embracing the neighborhood. Likewise the community has embraced the bookstore.
When Solomon and his wife were considering buying the store, friends and neighbors helped convince them to make it happen. “A friend, a civic-minded guy, said it would be very good if the bookstore could stay alive,” he said. “People were really interested in what happened to the store.”
That built-in customer base helped sell Solomon on taking ownership. He said he enjoys talking to the patrons of the shop, many of whom know him and his wife by name.
The same can be said for Eugene Sgarlata, owner of Bronxville”™s 75-year-old mainstay Womrath Bookshop. Just as Solomon is known in Pleasantville, Sgarlata is a familiar face in the village.
An Armonk resident, Sgarlata bought the store at 76 Pondfield Road 28 years ago. He said in that time he”™s witnessed the impact of the book industry”™s evolution. His bookstore has suffered from some of the changes.
“There is the consciousness of the new customer shopping online,” Sgarlata said. “The e-reader takes another slice out of the pie because it”™s cheaper.”
He doesn”™t discourage the e-industry but he wants people to acknowledge the problem. “When they don”™t support the brick and mortar store, what happens to their downtown?”
Womrath, is at the center of the village”™s most popular retail strip. Sgarlata said it contributes to the “flavor of things” in Bronxville. The bookstore is one of the more nostalgic shops on Pondfield Road. It”™s surrounded by a running store””where a toy store used to be””a camera store and bakery.
He said it”™s important to him that the bookstore help maintain the downtown charm. So he has made changes to adapt to the new downtown customer.
Womrath Bookshop, which occupies roughly 2,000 square feet of retail space, started carrying toys and reading glasses, items that Sgarlata said contributes to the “synergy” of his shop and also appeals to the evolved consumer who may want more than just books. And his sales have stayed consistent. Sgarlata agrees with Teicher that embracing the community is key to having a thriving bookstore business.
“I”™m not retiring anytime soon,” he said. “But people still say to me, don”™t leave, you can”™t leave. It”™s a good feeling.”
