Small Business Saturday and Independent Bookstores

© 2012 Lisa Ehrie, Thirteen Photography.  All rights reserved.

Today is Small Business Saturday--a day, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities.   I encourage all of you to support your favorite small businesses today and throughout this holiday season!  

You probably remember the gut-punch you felt when you learned that Borders Books and Music was closing.  Locals surely recall their near despair when they learned that Davis-Kidd Booksellers, a Nashville literary institution for 30 years, would close its doors for the last time. 

Imagine, then, how difficult it is for smaller independent bookstores to remain open when many of the big-box bookstores could not do it!  According to IndieBound, when you shop at independent bookstores, your entire community benefits in ways you might not have realized.  For example, spend $100 at a local business and $68 of that stays in your community; spend the same at a national chain, and your community sees only $43.  Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.  Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.

One of my favorite things to do while visiting a city is to explore its independent bookstores.  You can really get a sense of a place and its people by wandering the aisles of these local gems and sipping coffee at their in-house cafes.   So, in recognition of Small Business Saturday, this week I will be featuring several independent bookstores I've visited this year on my travels.  I would love to hear from you about bookstores I should put on my "must visit" list for future travels!

Remember, read global and shop local!