Beloved Bookstore Facing Tough Times

I was in downtown Madison shopping the other day, celebrating the arrival of spring by picking up a few short-sleeved shirts, and I asked the owner of the store, “How’s business?”

It’s picking up, she said, then added that business over the winter months had been so bad it was scary. With all the bitterly cold weather, the enormous snow banks that were plowed up onto the sidewalks in the downtown retail area, and the bad economy, shopping dropped off significantly.

I was reminded of her remarks when, later that day, I went to the Book Club Bonanza at R. J. Julia. The event was a big success, as these things usually are at the bookseller. But, once again, I listened as a merchant, this time Roxanne Coady, the owner of the bookshop who is a Branford resident, expressed concern about the recent downtown in the economy and explained in very clear terms why it’s important to shop locally.

Coady cautioned area residents to not take local bookstores, hardware stores, and other merchants for granted. Our downtown, with its neat rows of cute shops, is not a Hollywood set with a Ye Olde Bookshoppe and Ye Olde Hardware Store, she said, making reference to a recent article in the Metropolitan section of the New York Times that made a similar point. “People shop somewhere else, then they’re shocked when the stores close,” she said.

Anyone who has shopped downtown knows our merchants provide value beyond the goods they stock on the shelves. At , we have great customer service from more than 45 employees, many of whom live locally. The store provides hand-written reviews tucked up on the shelves amidst the books, personalized services such as “Just The Right Book,” and not one, but two, booksellers who are ready to help book clubs with whatever they need. The store offers everything from the latest digital downloads online to old-fashioned personalized recommendations. Why would we shop anywhere else?

And R. J. Julia is not the only one. The dress stores, the jewelers, the hardware store, the cheese shop, the movie theatre, the pizza place, the barbershops, the gallery, the shoe store, the runner’s store. I could go on and on about the places where we get great service from friendly people who not only know what Madison wants to buy, but also provide it at reasonable prices.

So the next time you are about to click on the “add to cart” link on a website from a faraway store, go to a local website instead and see what they have to offer. Better yet, step away from the computer entirely. Get in your car or, if it’s possible, walk or ride your bike, and love your local whether it’s downtown, in the North Madison shopping plaza, or one of the plazas on the east or west side of town.

I’d hate to have to go all the way to Disney World to visit Ye Olde Bookshoppe.