The Future of
Independent Bookstores
For my Senior Capstone, I spent three months studying the importance of independent bookstores and the role they play in their local communities.
Boston Bookstores...
On a busy day, Charles Street in Beacon Hill is filled with heavy foot traffic. The quaint Boston neighborhood is known for its uneven brick streets, small shops, and now a new bookstore.
Beacon Hill Book Shop is the newest addition to the bustling cobblestones of Charles Street. The store has a whimsical aesthetic, booksellers wear aprons and there is a large selection of texts. Four stories, in fact. It seems plucked from the scenes of a Hallmark movie.
This store is now the most recent addition to the growing number of independent bookstores in America post-COVID.
COVID forced most stores and businesses to shut down, and the small bookstores around the United States seemed doomed. Bookstore sales fell nearly 30 percent in 2020, U.S. Census Bureau data showed.
Even Boston’s very own Prudential Center Barnes and Noble closed its doors this summer.
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Popularity among college students
In recent years, independent bookstores have become a trend among the young college-age population.
I asked four college students about their relationship with independent bookstores and why they chose to shop within the community.
Putting a face to the voice
Mike
Monica
Sarah
Bella
Brattle Book Shop
Brattle Book Shop, located in Downtown Crossing, is one of America's oldest independent bookstores.
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You can watch my video on Brattle here on my website.
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