Obsessed With Celebrity & Too Busy For Browsing

Independent bookstores have been closing in droves for the last decade, with big chains and online booksellers the most often cited causes. But one indie stalwart whose shop is due to close this spring says that the problem goes beyond simple competition. From the ever-quickening pace of American life to the increasingly celebrity-based, profit-driven publishing industry, indie booksellers find themselves offering a service that is quickly losing both its suppliers and its clientèle.