Health and Diet Scottish Recipes Ferret for Ferrets



Re: [pf] Thinking outside the big box
by Molly Williams
18 November 2000 01:51 UTC

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Lisa,

Yes, most of the Booklands have closed or been bought by other people
and become other book stores. The Brunswick one is still alive and
thriving, as is Stroudwater Books in Portsmouth (a Bookland affiliate).
I don't know about the Ellsworth one. 

Several of them in Southern Maine were unfortunately at least half
Hallmark-type "gift" shops combined with the book stores, including
those in Sanford and  Biddeford/Saco -- They all closed. They never
offered much in the way of book selection. One of the South Portland
stores did have decent selection but it closed because it's across the
street from Borders, and that's also the specific store that I heard had
poor management. The one in downtown Portland is still alive.

We also lost an independent in Springvale/Sanford, called Upper Story
Books, which stocked literature, bestsellers, children's books, and some
non-fiction. But it was always very sparsely stocked. I tried to support
them and bought books from them for our library a couple of times a
year, but it was difficult to find a hardcover book there (except
bestsellers and some kids' books)! 

I have long thought about opening a mystery bookshop in Waterboro but it
would have to be on a hobby basis. I don't think there are enough
readers here to support one, esp. with our excellent small-town library
that caters to the mystery readers.

Maybe a mystery bookshop and vegan cafe!

~ Molly
-- 
Molly Williams
Volunteer, Waterboro Public Library: http://web.archive.org/web/20020330193040/http://www.waterboro.lib.me.us/
Web Maintainer, PROP: http://web.archive.org/web/20020330193040/http://www.propeople.org/ (Portland, ME)
mmw@waveinter.com

"There is fiction in the space between you and everyone else"
 -- Tracy Chapman


Lisa Perry wrote:
> 
> > From:          Molly Williams 
> 
> > I frequent our Borders, well, frequently -- probably once or twice a
> > month. We used to have a local chain of about 8-10 bookstores in Maine
> > but most of that chain have closed up since Borders has come to the
> > state. I think we have only one Borders in all of Maine (South
> > Portland), and one B&N (in Augusta, 75 miles away)
> 
> We used to live in Maine, we moved away in spring '97.  The winter
> before either a Borders or a B&N was built and opened in Bangor.
> >
> > I would think there is a pretty good profit margin even on the food
> > itself -- a cup of coffee for $1.75?
> 
> Many years ago, almost in another lifetime, my husband was an Asst
> Mgr for Starbuck's in Chicago.  At that time (it was now 10 years
> ago), the actual cost to Starbuck's for a regular cup of coffee was
> approximately five cents. That's right, .05 cents per cup.  Coffee
> bean prices have gone up over the years like everything else, but I
> would imagine that even if costs have tripled and it's now at .15 per
> cup for the actual cost, there is still a lot of profit being made in
> a plain cuppa joe.
> >
> > in." I thought, "Now that would never have happened at Bookland (the
> > local Maine chain)
> 
> Did Bookland disappear and close down, was that the chain you were
> referring to??  We loved that store and frequented it in Ellsworth.
> We had a good friend who was a buyer for Bookland.
> 
> > Since we have Inter-Library Loan at our libraries here, I tend to learn
> > about books on-line or in the box-stores, and then I ILL them for free!
> > But I often buy books for gifts and sometimes even for us (esp.
> > reference books), and I buy them from a mixture of local, big-box, and
> > on-line sources (mostly the last two).
> >
> I think Interlibrary loan is where it's at, it saves everyone money
> and space from needing another bookshelf and supports the libraries.
> My husband and I went through a phase where we bought most books that
> we wanted to read and keep, but almost 9 bookshelves later, we're
> trying to borrow books.  We did buy many of our books at Goodwill or
> at used bookstores, or even better at library book sales.
> 
> I have to admit that last night after we had the boys' annual picture
> taken, we went to Barnes & Noble for a couple hours of cheap
> entertainment.   Some drag car racer was in the store signing copies
> of his new book and there must have been 100 people in line, I
> couldn't believe it.  That line didn't quit the entire two hours we
> were at the store.  I read (or skimmed) three magazines, my boys read
> a few books and magazines, and then we all put our stuff back on the
> shelves and went home without spending any money other than on a cup
> of decaf.  I've thought about bringing our thermos from home, which
> we often do when we go places, but my husband looks forward to
> treating himself to a really good cup of that Starbuck's coffee.   I
> think it brings warm memories of getting out of bed at 4:20 to be at
> work by 5:00 a.m., haha.
> 
> Lisa
>