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Seven Ways to Survive as a Local Bookstore
Let’s be honest, it is getting harder and harder for local bookstores to survive in the era of Amazon and huge chain bookstores. Moreover, these bookstores — romanticized forever in the movie You’ve Got Mail, starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks — will continue to encounter tough economic turbulences. Recessions come and recessions go, but once you have spread your roots in your people’s hearts, you can sleep more soundly at night. In the meantime, here are seven ways to survive as a local bookstore. One: Be Responsive React to what people in your neighbourhood want and what titles your customers come looking for; you can make a list of…
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Take our quiz to find your perfect bookstore
Toronto is home to some of the best collections of literature in the world, and with a growing number of independent bookstores charming our favourite neighbourhoods–it can be difficult to decide where to shop for your next good read. What better way to make this difficult decision than by taking a personality quiz and surrendering all responsibility to your friends at On the Danforth Magazine!
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Mom’s Basement: For Nerds and Nostalgia
The rush of warm air greets customers’ rosy cheeks as they step into the bar from the winter’s chill on Danforth Avenue. The glow from the fluorescent lights and TVs playing classic ‘80s movies surround the patrons as “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus echoes through the room on the sound system. The bartender says a friendly “hello” and welcomes them to Mom’s Basement; from then on, they’re home. Derek Van Dyken and Jon Bratt worked in the service industry for years and always talked about how one day they would own their own business. All it took was “a bad day” in early 2019 for them to realize that they were…
