IndieBound

I came across IndieBound a few months ago and have slowly, but surely, been checking it out.

What is IndieBound? Well, it is a website where you can order or find books from independent booksellers in your area. It also promotes supporting your local bookstores. If you need a comparison, it is sort of like the 100 mile rule when it comes to shopping for food. (Try and eat food that has been grown within 100 miles of where you live. Good bye bananas!) But instead of ordering from some large warehouse thousands of miles away or buying from a large, impersonal chain store, you are buying your books from someone close by.

Why buy from your independent bookseller? Here are some most excellent reasons taken from the IndieBound website:

When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:

The Economy

• Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
• Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
• More of your taxes are reinvested in your community–where they belong.

The Environment

Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.

• Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.

The Community

• Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
• Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
• More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

Compelling, isn’t it?

The nice thing is that many of these places also offer online shopping. Not all, but several. So, come on out and support your Indie bookstores while they are still there. (Think of the movie ‘You’ve Got Mail’. In fact, as research, I think we’d all better sit down and watch Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks fall in love one more time. <sigh>)