Blacksburg Bookstore

Independent Bookstore Back in Town

Text by Joanne M. Anderson

Statistics on independent bookstores seem to be all over the map, but according to the American Booksellers Association, there are 2,321 indie booksellers. A couple surprises have unfolded since the 1970s when most bookstores were independent. Then with indoor mall construction came national chains like B. Dalton and Waldenbooks. Fast forward to the ‘90s when Books-A-Million, Borders and Barnes & Noble built massive freestanding bookstores with coffee shops inside. When amazon.com came alive in 1995, independent booksellers dropped by 40% across the next five years. The Kindle was introduced in 2007 and that, it was thought, would spell doom for books, the real ones with paper pages. Amazon. com may have destroyed some of the book chains, but in the last dozen years, independent booksellers have increased by 40%. According to one NPR (National Public Radio) interview, real estate developers are embracing the independent bookstore. And herein lies the explanation. Where malls are anchored with well-known national chain stores – think: Kohls, Belk, Dick’s Sporting Goods – vibrant communities are anchored with … [drumroll] … independent bookstores! As stated by Paddy Hirsch of NRP News: “The indie bookstore is marching triumphantly into the very place that once threatened to destroy it. They have returned to dance on the ashes of Borders and Waldenbooks. Now, that's a great twist.” And one of those great twists, Blacksburg Books, opened in downtown Blacksburg on Aug. 6 this year, thanks to the efforts, work, dreams and community spirit of one Laurie Kelly. “When my husband and I relocated to Blacksburg seven years ago, I noted the absence of an

Sindependent bookstore,” she recalls. As a lawyer and mom of three teenagers, time might be tight, but her passion for literature and dream of a book shop propelled her to begin planning. “The inventory began with books my husband and I had amassed over the years and my neighbor’s collection. She was an elderly woman who had been an educator and a reader all her life. We became friends, and when she died, her son gave me her books which I put in a storage unit. One day I saw a thread on the Facebook group “Everything Blacksburg” about how many people wanted a used bookstore in Blacksburg. I mentioned I was building an inventory to open one.” Her post generated lots of excitement with people asking if they could donate books. Laurie spent months collecting boxes and bags of books from very generous folks. Once she located space on S. Main St., at the far end of the

condo building where Gourmet Pantry anchors the opposite end, Laurie went to work organizing the interior. “We painted the walls, which were stark white, to add color and change the atmosphere. We built all the bookcases and shelving and removed the fitting rooms to create the children’s nook. We continue to make changes and adapt as we learn what our customers want.” Note that “we” includes her husband, who designed and built all the bookshelves and volunteer labor from all three teens. The bookcases are on casters for easy movement to a new place or make temporary space for seating.

The inventory is around 75% used books and the balance new ones, a mix of paperback and hardback. While they accept donations and have a trade-in program, Laurie says the trade-ins may be on hold until next year, as she has a storage unit full of books waiting to find their place inside the bookstore. Categories run the gamut like classics, poetry, health and wellness, science fiction and fantasy, young adult, religion, art, animals and nature and many more. Children’s story hour is held each Saturday morning, and several local author events are already on the calendar into 2022. You can find a poem written by someone local on the website each week. With around 7,500 books, a central location, and open hours every day of the week, Blacksburg Books is already on the radar of readers, families, students and residents who themselves have a passion for books - reading them, holding them, looking at them, buying them and gifting them.

401 S. Main St. #106, Blacksburg Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Sunday, noon - 5 p.m. info@blacksburgbooks.com 540-315-9650