Three independents
Book Exchange. 2932 Canton Road, Marietta. 770-427-4848, www.bookexchangemarietta.com.
Upcoming events: Self-Published and Small Press Authors Summer Reads, meet the authors 6:30-p.m. July 23.
Charis Books and More. 1189 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. 404-524-0304, www.charisbooksandmore.com. Upcoming events: Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar signs "The Migrant Report" 1:30-3 p.m. July 19; used book sale 11 a.m.-6 p.m. July 25-26 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
A Cappella Books. 208 Haralson Ave., Atlanta. 404-681-5128, www.acappellabooks.com. Upcoming events: Liza Wieland Book signs "Land of Enchantment" 7 p.m. July 23 at the store.
Not long ago, it appeared independent bookstores were becoming as obsolete as video stores. But after Borders went bankrupt, and Barnes & Noble shuttered hundreds of stores, a funny thing happened. The number of independent bookstores began to rise — up 27 percent since 2009, according to the American Booksellers Association.
Three metro Atlanta bookstores – Marietta Book Exchange in Cobb County, Charis Books & More in Little Five Points and A Cappella Books in Inman Park — have managed to survive for decades and even thrive in the digital age.
Each has taken a different approach, but all three have endured by being creative and making themselves an integral part of the communities they serve.
“People who love books and stories want a place to gather,” says Wanda Jewell, executive director of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. “They want to meet the writers, and no doubt publishers have come to appreciate that independent bookstores are the place to promote authors.”
Book Exchange
Book Exchange in Marietta claims to be the oldest continuously operating bookstore in Cobb County, celebrating its 40th year in business this summer. Cat Blanco of Rochester, N.Y., bought the store in 1991 after being a customer for years.
Blanco, who had a background in record sales, spent a year volunteering and then six months running the place for the previous owner to learn the business. Then she slowly transformed it from a dingy shop that smelled of cigarette smoke and sold porn to a light, bright community hub that regularly attracts appearances from New York Times bestselling authors.
Today, many authors choose the wise-cracking Blanco to host their book launches. She recently presided over a luncheon launch of Patti Callahan Henry’s latest novel, “The Idea of Love,” and has built a loyal following by promoting local authors including Renea Winchester, Ann Hite, Karen White and Mary Alice Monroe.
“E-readers have leveled out,” says Blanco, whose inventory features one quarter new books and three-quarters used books. “We lost some of our customer base, but I just stepped up events and reasons for people to come into the store. Our advantage is that you can’t go on Amazon and get the face-to-face with the authors that we’re able to deliver.”
Blanco hosts a monthly book club that sometimes swells to 50 attendees and a monthly writers’ group composed of newbies alongside award-winning novelists. She is the official bookseller for the Georgia Romance Writers of America and hosts events for small-press and self-published authors. There is also a group that meets there to knit together and another one to play mahjong.
“I want customers to feel that the Book Exchange is their neighborhood hangout – like Cheers where everybody knows your name,” she said.
Charis Books and More
Celebrating its 40th anniversary last year, Charis Books and More claims to be the second oldest independent feminist bookstore in North America, but it’s much more than that.
In 1996, co-owners Angela Gabriel and Sara Look established Charis Circle, a nonprofit organization that oversees a variety of community events that go “beyond a traditional bookstore,” says Executive Director Elizabeth Anderson. “We had a different vibe, and individual donors wanted to support our work. Now many of our events are donor-funded, making things more accessible.”
In addition to book signings and poetry open mics, the store hosts yoga; support groups for trans- and gender-questioning youth; a writing group for those in the healing professions; memoir writing classes; instruction on beekeeping and making a rain barrel; and events with local activists.
As for the books, they are “heavily curated,” says Anderson. “The books we choose to stock reflect our commitment to diverse and marginalized voices outside the mainstream and to social justice.”
The majority of the books are authored by women and people of color, and a third of the shelves are stocked with children’s and young adult titles. “We have books about kids raised by grandmas, kids with two dads and those with African-American boys as the protagonist where their race isn’t the focus,” says Anderson. “A big part of being happy, healthy and whole in the world is how kids see themselves in the media, so we look for books that represent the reality of American families today.”
Anderson applauds the resources the Internet brings to people who need them. “It’s a big deal that a gay kid in Morrow can find the resources she needs in five minutes online,” she says. “But people need physical spaces that are not school, work, home or church to gather,” she adds. “Our customer wants somebody to talk to because her mom just died or she’s just found out that her child has been sexually abused.”
Sales, which are back up over the last two years, bear that out. “Providing this space as a gathering place allows us to do the work we love as booksellers,” says Anderson.
A Cappella Books
After working for one of the nation’s top antiquarian and rare bookstores in San Francisco throughout the 1980s, Frank Reiss returned to his hometown to start A Cappella Books in 1989. Primarily focused on out-of-print titles, first editions, contemporary fiction and books on culture and the arts, the store passed its 25-year mark in December.
In that time the tiny shop has moved locations numerous times, but its loyal customer base always follows.
The bookseller credits his store’s survival to perseverance and adaptability. “We certainly had some lean years along the way, but we’ve come out on the other side,” he says. “When we moved a few years ago, we put more of a focus on new releases. You can see the books better, because the shelves are less crowded. We put the newest and most interesting things toward the front of the store.”
Hardcore customers still come in to sift through the used inventory in the backroom, and there’s a backroom with out-of-print books that is closed to the public.
Lately Reiss has been focusing on stocking books that “reflect the contemporary concerns of our strongest customer base – the intown, urban dwellers.” To that end, he carries books by intellectuals concerned with the political and social issues of the day, as well as good literary fiction. “But we like to have fun, too. Our events with David Sedaris have been wildly popular,” he says.
In addition to hosting store events, such as a writing workshop with award-winning Atlanta memoirist Jessica Handler, he also presents readings and signings with national and international literati at The Carter Center, including an upcoming event with Salman Rushdie.
“Things are always changing, and I try to anticipate it,” says Reiss. “As far as independent booksellers go, it’s a good time. A lot of people are embracing the idea of local commerce whether it’s books or anything else, and I suspect that trend will continue.”
