Three years ago, one of Greenwich’s remaining independent book stores was saved from impending closure.It looks like there won’t be a happy ending after all.
Just Books owner Marion Boucher Holmes says the increasing popularity of electronic readers, in particular Apple’s iPad, is forcing her to close the beloved Old Greenwich shop. Boucher Holmes bought the Arcadia Road store in 2008 from Greenwich resident Jenny Lawton, who at the time said financial pressure was forcing her to sell the store or seek investors. While she knew it was a difficult business, Boucher Holmes said sales had dropped significantly in the past 10 months.
“We were always dealing with the Kindle and Amazon, but the iPad has really accelerated,” Boucher Holmes said. “Old Greenwich is a small community, and if you start losing 25 to 30 percent of your readers to the electronic medium, the business is just not sustainable.”
The 10-year-old store is selling its inventory at 50 percent off, and will permanently shut its doors when everything is sold, though the plan is for the store to be out by the end of the month.
Just one of many sad endings for America’s indie bookstores. Who can you have an intelligent conversation with at Amazon.com?
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