THE INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER
  • Calendar
  • Education
  • Industry Directory
  • Awards
  • Indie to Indie
  • More Resources
    • Statistics
    • Adaptations
    • Bookseller Associations
    • Publisher Promotions
    • Merchandise

On the Road Again... The Return of Bookmobiles

11/22/2018

0 Comments

 
Part of the reason for the well-documented resurgence in independent bookstores has been their ability to adapt to the needs of their communities in ways that larger or online companies cannot. Booksellers are flexible, creative, and responsive, but they’re also adventurous, brave, and perceptive. We’re currently seeing these traits in action in the proliferation of alternative business models; in particular, the resurgence of independently owned and operated bookmobiles. 
Independently Owned Bookmobiles in the US
Babycake's Book Stack, St. Paul MN*
Bibliobar, Dallas TX*
Chapters Bookmobile, Seward NE
House of Speakeasy, New York NY

Itinerant Literate, Charleston SC
Mavis the Magical Bookmobile (The Book Bar), Denver CO

Parnassus Bookmobile, Nashville TN
​River Dog Book Co., Beaver Dam WI*

The Story House, Montgomery MD
Twenty Stories, Providence, RI

*will be in operation soon
​Bookmobiles, long the purview of public libraries, have seen success across a variety of markets. They have proven to be both a good way for existing stores to expand their market penetration as well as a low-cost way for beginning booksellers to develop their brand and customer base prior to opening a physical bookstore. This trend has not gone unnoticed within the business community, with articles from Forbes, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Washington Post, and Huffington Post devoting resources to the topic.
​The Independent Bookseller™ spoke with a number of booksellers involved with a bookmobile about why the model appeals to them and what unique challenges it poses, and also sprinkled in some key quotes from the above-linked articles.

Read More
0 Comments

    Archives

    November 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    July 2017
    June 2017

All content © 2022 The Independent Bookseller™

www.TheIndependentBookseller.com
TheIndependentBookseller@gmail.com
​
The Independent Bookseller
PO Box 17431
​Minneapolis MN 55417

About

Advertising

Consulting

Support

Join our Email List
Receive a weekly email compiling the most important bookselling news, deadlines, and updates from around the industry. If you only want to read one book-industry newsletter, this is the one for you.
  • Calendar
  • Education
  • Industry Directory
  • Awards
  • Indie to Indie
  • More Resources
    • Statistics
    • Adaptations
    • Bookseller Associations
    • Publisher Promotions
    • Merchandise