We can all recall the scene in the 1998 movie, “You’ve Got Mail” where Meg Ryan drags her sad little Indie bookstore doorbell down the deserted street after being forced out of business by Tom Hanks’ big bad bookstore. It’s now 2020, and that bookstore market has seen its share of plot twists: Independents have been gobbled by Borders bookstores who’ve been gobbled by Barnes & Noble who’ve been henpecked by Amazon who’s now opening its own physical bookstores across the country. It’s been a tumultuous ride, but the good news for bibliophiles is that real books are an actual trendy thing again.
For the past several years, independent bookstores have been thriving, and print sales are rising while e-book sales are declining. According to the American Booksellers Association (ABA), independent booksellers are doing better overall and trending upward. Even Barnes & Noble, the largest bookstore chain in the U.S., might be rescued. It was recently acquired by the hedge fund Elliott Advisors in a move that publishers and agents hope will save the giant from collapse.
Analysts believe that indie bookstores are doing better because customers are making a conscious effort to support local stores. Customers have developed a fondness and a connection to their favorite indies where they have fostered relationships with owners, staff and fellow devotees – people who also appreciate the experience of real books, touching them, smelling them, toting them, discussing them, showcasing them or passing them on. Social media has also become instrumental in building relationships and helping indie sales.
The ABA states that bookstore membership has grown, helped by the fact that more people are reading printed books than electronic versions. It states that “indie booksellers remain a resilient and entrepreneurial group, and independent bookstores offer a unique and unparalleled opportunity for the discovery of new authors and great writing.”
Locally, booklovers can frequent a variety of sites (see sidebar) to discover—or rediscover—often with a coffee shop inside or at least nearby. Booklovers can also check out Johnson County’s public libraries, which are undergoing a 20-year comprehensive library master plan to adapt and modernize existing buildings (or to build new ones where necessary) to accommodate forecasted population growth. The Monticello library branch in Shawnee was the first to undergo the upgrade in 2018, followed by the Lenexa City Center this past June 2019. The new 40,000 square foot building occupies two floors at the Lenexa campus and is a striking and beautiful facility to enjoy. (The Blue Valley branch is purported to be next on the list.)
If your new year’s resolutions included “Read more books,” Kansas City has you booklovers covered.
Try these area bookstores:
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Multiple locations, including
Town Center
(913) 491-4535
Oak Park Mall
(913) 492-8187
Rainy Day Books
2706 W 53rd St., Fairway
(913) 384-3126
Green Door Book & Gift Shop
11800 W Railroad Ave., Overland Park
(913) 766-8646
Trinity House Catholic Bookstore
6731 W 119th St., Overland Park
(913) 652-0080
Half-Price Books
Various locations, including Olathe Station
(913) 829-9959
Prospero’s Books
1800 W 39th St., KC
(816) 531-9673
Higher Grounds Cafe
3523 E Red Bridge Rd., KC
(816) 763-6220
Mardel Christian & Education
7102 W 119th St, Overland Park
(913) 498-0739
The Well Bookstore
Leawood, KS
(913) 897-0120
Aquarius Bookstore
3936 Broadway Blvd., KCMO
(816) 931-6303
Afterword Tavern & Shelves
1834 Grand Blvd., Crossroads
(816) 569-3001
K.D.’s Books
241 SE Main St., KC
(816) 525-1366
Our Daily Nada
304 Delaware, Rivermarket
(816) 982-9230
Wise Blood Booksellers
300 Westport Rd., Westport
(816) 800-6014
Willa’s Books
1734 E 63rd St., KC
(816) 419-1051
Anastasia’s Books
10416 E 63rd St., KC
(816) 356-8300
