Support Your Community by Shopping at a Local Bookstore

With carefully curated aisles, thoughtfully designed third spaces, and real people behind the business, local bookstores are the heart of their communities. However, we’ve noticed that with online ordering becoming more prevalent and big-brand stores turning up in every neighborhood, more and more people are opting to shop for their new reads at chains. If you’re tired of sinking your money into mega-corporations like Amazon and are ready to invest it back into your hometown, it’s time to get back to basics and support your nearest indie bookstore.

What is an Indie Bookstore?

Indie, short for independent, bookstores are locally owned businesses, typically operated out of one location (though some occasionally have multiple locations). Their faceless competitors, known as chain bookstores, have many locations city-, state-, or country-wide and are run by corporations.

Why Should You Support Your Local Bookstore?

When you shop at an indie bookstore, the money you spend goes right back into your community. Local shop owners are more likely to use their profits for good by supporting the neighboring businesses, utilizing local services, and creating jobs in the area. This provides peace of mind for every one of your purchases, whether you’re stocking up on picture books for the kids or picking up romance novels for the holidays.   

Chain stores are required to have certain titles on display, making every store look like a boring old copycat. Indie bookstore owners, however, are allowed to tailor their selection to cater to the interests of their customers. If you’re searching for a more specialized book-buying experience, local is the way to go.

Independent bookstores are more than retail—they’re a gathering spot where anyone in the area is welcome. These vital third spaces are becoming few and far between and all the more important. Whether you’re searching for a space to host a book club, want to attend an author’s talk, or just want to cozy up with a good book and hot beverage, local bookstores are designed to give you a place to go where you can foster connections.  

7 Easy Ways to Support Your Local Bookstore

It can feel impossible to compete with the top name-brand bookstores, but when the community decides to shop local, it makes a world of difference! You can support your favorite indie bookstore in a myriad of ways, including:

1. Attend a Book Club at Your Nearest Bookstore

Book clubs are one of the best ways to gather with loved ones, meet fellow readers, and get to know the owners of your local bookstore. When you attend, you can connect with your community and engage in meaningful discussions over the title you’ve all been reading. It’s also a great opportunity to expand your literary interests, as the titles chosen for you can come from any book genre.

At Novel, we even offer a Silent Book Club! If you like reading in the company of others but don’t necessarily want to partake in discussion, you can join us on Monday evenings to enjoy a quiet bookstore and your latest book.

2. Listen to Audiobooks with Libro.fm

Just because you decide to support local bookstores doesn’t mean you have to give up listening to audiobooks! Many book lovers prefer hearing professional voice actors bring their favorite tales to life to traditional reading. Libro.fm is the perfect audiobook alternative, as profits from every membership and purchase go towards the indie bookstore of your choosing. Cancel your Audible membership and sign up for Libro.fm with Novel’s affiliate link.  

3. Pre-Order New Releases Through Your Local Bookshop

If there’s a new title you’re looking forward to, why wait until the day of to buy it when you can pre-order it through your local bookstore? Pre-ordering a novel will also give the owners an indication that the title will be in high demand so they can accurately plan their future inventory and get the sales they deserve.

4. Get E-Books Through Bookshop.org

These days, e-books are all the rage. If you enjoy this digital alternative, you may think supporting Amazon with a Kindle is your only choice—but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Bookshop.org is one of the best ways to support indie bookstores online; the majority of the money from a sale goes directly to a shop of the customer’s choosing. Good news—they’ve recently released an e-book app compatible with any iOS or Android device, meaning you can finally read e-books on the go with a clean conscience.

5. Attend Indie Bookstore Events

Sometimes, the best way to support your indie bookstore is just to show up! Local bookshops are known to host a variety of fun-for-all-ages events, providing a cultural hub for any member of the community to enjoy. When you’re there, make sure to check out the shelves—who knows what exciting title you’ll end up bringing home with you?

A Few of our Favorite Events at Novel

Check out our events calendar to stay up to date on the fun planned each month:

• Sunday Story Time
• Book Clubs
• Build Your Own Book Bouquet
• Puzzle Month Sales
• Game Night

6. Visit Your Local Bookshop to Buy Books for Donations

To state the obvious, purchasing your books from your local bookshop is a great way to support the business. But if your shelves are full or you’re on a self-imposed buying ban (we’ve been there!), there are still plenty of ways to support the indie bookstore financially.

Our favorite? Purchasing your favorite children’s titles from the shop and donating them to your local school, children’s hospital, and family shelters. You can also look into donating to prison libraries to help the incarcerated. Everyone deserves to read!

7. Engage With the Bookstore’s Social Media

In today’s day and age, social media is key—especially when it comes to the success of a local bookstore. If you’re on Instagram or Facebook, make sure to follow the shop’s accounts and engage with posts. This will increase foot traffic and online shopping, both of which are imperative to small businesses!

Other Ways to Get Involved in Novel’s Community

Interested in becoming a part of our Novel community? Make even more of an effort to support our local bookstore by:

• Stopping by and writing out a book recommendation
• Leaving a detailed online review
• Grabbing a bite to eat off the sandwich menu
• Using the power of word of mouth—tell your friends to stop by
• Inquiring about any volunteer opportunities (like our Sunday Story Time!)

The next time you’re in the mood for a book-shopping spree, skip the chains and head to your local bookstore! We can’t wait to welcome you into Novel, our Rochester, MI, shop, with open arms—and a few of the latest titles, of course.