Bookstores making a come-back.

CBS News reports on the return of the book store -- as in brick and mortar buildings. with shelves and tables filled with those old-fashioned reading devices, not made of metal and plastic but of paper and ink.   A real store with live people who might chat with you and make suggestions of the latest "good read.'

There have been rumors for years, but now we have some data.  Harvard Business School professor Ryan Raffaelli has been studying the mysterious 'return of the book stores.'   "Between 2009 and 2015, more than 570 independent bookstores opened in the U.S., bringing the total to more than 2,200;  that's about a 35 percent jump after more than a decade of decline."

Professor Raffaelli has been seeking an answer to this new growth which has increased every year since 2009, "despite cheaper, more convenient ways to buy books online, in national chains, and with e-readers."   What's causing bookstores to hold their own against the digital onslaught?

What Raffaelli is finding is that successful bookstores are ones that emphasize local appeal, a curated selection, and sponsored events (like author readings or poetry readings or book clubs) . . . "So, buying a book becomes an act of community-building as opposed to just a consumer purchase."   He continues:

"You talk to people, have someone treat you like a friend, someone who will share with you something they love.   You can't get that online."    A new store owner explained:   "You can read on your phone, but we're finding that so many people spend so much time on devices, that when it comes to reading for pleasure, they don't want to read from a device."

This feels like one of the most hopeful things to happen -- and it's so gratifying to have this revival during my lifetime.   As a small boy, books were my escape from the stultifying anti-intellectualism of a small Southern town.  Books opened up new worlds of experience and ideas and culture.  We didn't have a book store in Sandersville, but we did have a library -- as well as the one at our school.   I've never lost that sense of wonder and exhilaration when opening a new book, ready to encounter a whole new world. 

Ralph