Closing of 9th Street Bookstore signals grim future for area independent retail booksellers

Although the 9th Street Bookstore has changed its name and location several times over the past two decades, it has been known as a mainstay among Columbia’s independent bookstores, attracting customers with its rare selection of educational toys and its considerable magazine offerings as well as its books.

Walking into the bookstore, the casual shopper might not know the store is closing in only a few weeks. Many shelves are full. By 5 p.m., a slow but steady stream of customers quietly browses, making small talk with the staff and petting a dog named Max, a longtime friend who occasionally visits with his owner.

The recent news that the 9th Street Bookstore would permanently close by March 31 took people by surprise.

“I’ve been coming to this bookstore since it was in the mall. It’s unfortunate that it’s closing,” said Columbia resident Derrick Gwinner upon hearing the news.

“I really like the personal service. I’ve gotten used to seeing people I know,” said Karen Landers, who has lived downtown for 15 years. “I’m not sure where I’ll buy my books now that they’re closing.”

Small bookstores’ demise widespread

Jerry Cowley of Cowley Distributing Inc., owner of several bookstores in Missouri, including 9th Street Bookstore, attributes the decision to close primarily to lack of business.

“There are too many people out there selling the same thing,” said Cowley. “Publishers cause problems indirectly by selling to anybody. The stores down the road that will remain successful will find a niche and be able to meet the needs of a particular type of customer.”

The Columbia store’s impending closing highlights what seems to be a national trend.
Publisher Greg Michalson of Unbridled Books said the future of independent bookstores was a main topic of discussion at an American Booksellers Association conference he recently attended. Statistics from the ABA indicate that 4,500 independent bookstores existed in the early 1990s. Today, the count is 1,800.

Michalson said that for a small bookstore to succeed, it takes a lot of hand selling, community outreach and a sense that the bookseller is bringing something more to the table.

“To publishers like me, independent bookstores are our lifeblood,” said Michalson. “In the long run, we won’t survive without them.”
Small booksellers rapidly are being edged out by the Internet and larger chain stores, local booksellers say.

“Because of the fact that we’ve been big-boxed so thoroughly, that’s why you see an ever-accelerating pace of small businesses closing,” said Annette Kolling-Buckley, who has owned Columbia Books since 1977.

Buckley said she is pleased with the move she made from downtown to the Providence Road location and attributes her continued progress to having linked up in 1992 with an online database for books, now known as Alibris. Columbia Books currently sells to online vendors, including Amazon and eight other interfaces, as well as to individual customers through its own Web site. Buckley said the Internet has been around long enough to create a generation of people who have grown up using the medium as their primary way of getting information and making purchases.

“You just need to add the Internet as part of the dynamics of running your business,” Buckley said about the future of brick-and-mortar small bookstores. “Bookselling is a really good match with the Internet. If I had to depend on just walk-in customers, I wouldn’t be here.”

Making changes and fitting in

Ken and Linda Green, owners of Acorn Books, are neighbors down the street from 9th Street Bookstore. They said adjusting to changes in the market has kept them afloat.

“Since the appearance of the Internet and mega bookstores, Acorn has expanded its niche by selling online and increasing our sales to college students,” Ken Green said. “We still have, however, a very broad range of customers.”

Acorn Books and five other tenants have lost the lease on the building they rent on 9th Street between Elm and Locust streets. The owner, The Missouri Symphony Society, plans to restore the Missouri Theatre building to its original 1929 condition and requires the current tenants to vacate by July 31.

The Greens are still deciding whether to reopen their main store in a downtown location. They also run two satellite stores in Columbia, with more than 15,000 books at each location.

“We feel gratified that for 20 years our bookstore has been contributing to the diversity of ideas and the cultural richness of Columbia’s downtown community,” Green said. “It is our delight that bookstores attract a wide variety of people from all over the world.”

Becky Asher, one of the owners of Columbia’s Village Books, said she thinks the independent bookseller needs to be centered on customer service but also needs to be a part of the community in a way that makes an impact.
“Small businesses really affect the flavor of the local economy,” said Asher.

Jerry Barrier of South Asia Books, based in Columbia, has developed a niche market and said the business has had to change and adapt quickly. South Asia Books is the major supplier of East Indian books to Amazon and Barnes & Noble online.

“We have had virtually a total sea change—moving from a model of warehousing quantities to supplying on demand. I see very little future for independent booksellers who operate primarily retail,” said Barrier.
Tiger Tales Bookstore and Heart to Heart Christian Supply have closed their doors in Columbia recently and turned to online bookselling.

Elizabeth Elliott, manager of 9th Street Bookstore, considers how the closing will affect her coworkers, Renita Richmond, who has been with the store from the beginning, and Bill Oliver, another long-time employee.
“You’re sacrificing people that care and that have knowledge,” said Elliott. “Everyone that works here has a different interest and can help show people different books. It’s sad that people don’t appreciate that kind of knowledge.”

Elliott added she doesn’t see a lot of hope for small bookstores.
“We’ve had a wonderful time in Columbia. It’s been a great ride for the time that our bookstore has been here,” Elliott said. “Seeing people and making new friends—I’ll miss it. It’s a lot of fun and it’s going to be a big loss. It was worth it. At least we tried.”