For those of you that have had the opportunity to visit a true independent bookstore in your life, you'll understand what I'm talking about when I say that it's there that you can truly feel the magic of books. In today's world, independent booksellers are becoming increasingly rare, and in some places even extinct. The wonder of walking into a store where books are precariously stacked on every surface available, where the smell of thousands of books wraps around you like a blanket... It's places like that, that I can walk into no matter what city I'm in, and feel completely at home and surrounded by countless friends bound in even more innumerable pages.
I once visited a shop called Bill's Books. It was housed in a dilapidated but vibrantly pink building, and inside, among the stench of who knows how many cats, was floor to ceiling of
books. Most probably wouldn't have given the store a second glance aside from just to remark on how pink it was. But something about the fact that its sign just simply stated "books
", and the mystery of what stories I'd find inside drew me in. Inside, cats were roaming around the entire store, weaving their way through the stacks, and a very old man sat asleep at the counter. It was magical. (My mom and my sister, who were with me, begged to differ...) I will always remember Bill's Books, and wished I had found it sooner because it no longer exists. Finding a bookstore like that is becoming increasingly difficult in today's world, and it makes my bibliophile heart ache.
I learned recently that
Bill passed away last month. Everyone that knew him remarked greatly on his love for books and for selling them to people that loved them as much as he did. We need more people like Bill in this world, who take their love of books and spread it around as much as possible. If there's a bookseller near you, support them! Because the day that the internet becomes the only place we can buy books will be a very sad day indeed.
If you're interested in finding an independent bookstore near you, I'd encourage you to check out
Indie Bound. This website has a tracker where you enter your zip, and it'll tell you all the independent booksellers near you. Give it a look! These stores need as much love as they can get.
