Why I Feel Guilty for Not Always Buying Independent
I love my local bookshops. My town is lucky enough to have two of them: Abingdon Bookstore and Mostly Books. Abingdon Bookstore looks very professional, has a good range of gifts, and is a World Book Night distributor. Mostly Books is a great place for kids, have some brilliant events, and are really good at giving reading advice. Both stores have very friendly staff.
Whenever I walk through the main precinct I pop into Abingdon Bookstore. Whenever I'm shopping for children I go to Mostly Books. And yet, a large proportion of my book buying is done in Waterstones. Why is this? Well, its simple- because I have a loyalty card!
Isn't it so easy to get into buying somewhere just because you have some sort of store card! When I was at university Waterstones was my local store and so I, sort of, had an excuse. But now its a 30 minute drive (or bus ride), it costs at least £4 to get there, and I have independents a lot closer. I don't really have a reason except to save money!
I feel like I should support my local bookstores more. They're at the heart of our community, helping to preserve the joy of reading and promoting it to new generations. Sure, I attend their events and browse there, but I only really buy my favourite authors (and only then when I can't get them cheaper elsewhere). In the end it simply comes down to money- but I think that only if people like me are a bit more generous with theirs will the bookshops have enough to survive.
Do you have an independent bookshop near you? I'd love to hear about it!
