Thursday, May 1, 2008

Book Barn closing?!

Have had three different customers come in and tell me the Book Barn is closing it's brick and mortar on May 31. They say they are going online.

35 years in existence, though not all under the same owner.

Wish I could fill that niche downtown -- completely. I can do some of it; what this means is that I will be reorganizing my front in the next two weeks or so in order to about triple my available book space. (I'd planned to do this by summer, but now I'm going to try to be done by May 31.)

Mostly fiction, as in browsers. Non-fiction is huge and specific at the same time. So I'll do a bit of history, a bit of pop non-fiction, and so on. But mostly fiction.

If I can just get the rest of the downtown businesses to send people my way.

2 comments:

Barbara said...

Not sure if this is great "karma" or not, but we have been seriously considering a move to Bend Oregon and I have always dreamed of owning a book store in a small town. I have contacted the owner of the Book Barn to let him/her know that we are interested.

Can't imagine a small town without a wonderful book store! From a customer's perspective, what makes the store great right now and what would you do to improve it? Love to hear your (and other's) thoughts about the Book Barn.......hope to hear from the owner soon too.

Duncan McGeary said...

Just so you know. Four new bookstores have opened in Central Oregon, population 200k, for a total of 7 counting the Book Barn. Average bookstore population is one per 100k, and we have one every 28k.

Plus a Barnes and Nobles.

So we aren't lacking.

Two new stores in Bend, 2 new stores in Redmond, and established stores in Sunriver and Sisters.

It's downtown that doesnt' have a bookstore, a three block area.

Let me know your plans!