Behind the Shelves of Boston’s Indie Bookstores

By Helen Frazer

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.

Jake Albalate, 22, is a recent graduate of Emerson College. He worked at Prudential Barnes and Noble for three years and had mixed feelings about the mega-chain closing.

“I was upset the store was closing but I also felt depreciated and unvalued that [my managers] didn’t reach out to me about this,” said Albalate.

Albalate found his location was closing through a text from a coworker. Due to taking a few days off to finish his senior thesis, he happened to miss the staff announcement. The store posted to social media the next morning, but if Albalate hadn’t been told that night by his coworker he would have found out the next morning along with the general public.

He had been working there for three years and was never contacted by his managers, illustrating a clear difference in the internal structures of independent bookstores and chains.

“At an independent bookstore, I actually know the owners which is not something I can say for a chain,” said Albalate.

After losing his job at Barnes and Noble, Albalate began working at Brookline Booksmith. Located in Coolidge Corner, Brookline Booksmith has been a pillar of the community for the past 60 years.

One of the main differences Albalate saw between the two types of bookstores was in regard to the community. During his time at Barnes and Noble, he could not remember the store ever hosting an event. At Brookline Booksmith that is simply not the case.

“There's a lot more personal outreach within the community,” said Albalate.

Brookline Booksmith has a lengthy Events Page, with everything from author talks to book signings to ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Events cater to all ages and are both in-person and virtual.

Independent bookstores are able to be active members of the community, providing a human helping hand when it comes to picking out books.

Morgan Holly, 21, works at Porter Square Books in Cambridge. Holly has been working there for about a year. The authentic interaction with the local community is a huge part of why Holly loves her job.

“The community at Porter is so strong and engaged—both in person and online,” said Holly. “You are truly able to interact with readers and customers in a way that other major retailers can’t.”

Holly, and her commitment to customers, was recently thrust into the local spotlight after being featured in a Boston Globe article. While filling out an online pickup order for “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy and “Fleabag Scriptures” Holly added a personal note for the customer.

I would say happy reading, but these titles indicate otherwise... Hope you are doing ok!

P.S. The Fleabag Scriptures is my most prized possession, hope you enjoy it!

The customer went to Twitter to share her happiness with the personal “wellness check” from her local bookstore. Many people replied sharing their own love for the personal touch independent bookstores have.

One Twitter user, @DougHill25, replied under the original tweet and compared the ordering process of independent bookstores to Amazon. He said, “Hmm. I don't recall ever getting a personal message from Jeff Bezos.”

The growth of brick-and-mortar bookstores is interesting, given the ease of ordering online. It’s no secret that physical stores face competition from large online retailers, like Amazon, but for many a bookstore is more than just a place to buy your new read.

“It feels a lot more personal and you see that in the level of care,” said Albalate.