Shoptalk is deeply saddened to report the imminent demise of beloved independent bookstore Frog Hollow (1459 Brenton, 429-3318). Despite a recent escape from the high rent in Park Lane Mall to a new location just down the block on Brenton Street, the business will close August 22nd. Owner Heidi Hallett explained the situation in a letter to customers on Tuesday morning:
A number of things have contributed to this decision, from ever increasing rents, the slumping economy and increased competition from online, big box stores, discount retailers and grocery stores. Sales at Frog Hollow have dropped by 50 percent since 2003. After reviewing our second quarter sales, I had to make the gut wrenching decision that the business is no longer viable.
While our move to Brenton Street resulted in an immediate increase in traffic and sales in June, it was simply not enough to see us through these incredibly difficult times.
Closing Frog Hollow is a decision that has been very difficult to make, but we have exhausted our options over the last year and a half. Anyone who has been following our story knows that closing is a last resort for us.
Hallett invites her customers to continue to support independent bookstores in Halifax, such as The Bookmark (5886 Spring Garden, 423-0419) and Woozles (1533 Birmingham, 423-7626) and to visit Frog Hollow between now and August 22 for a stock clearance sale and to “say one last hello” to staff.
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This article appears in Aug 6-12, 2009.
Sad news, in the most general sense.
Thankfully, the superior local independent bookshop — at least in my humble opinion — The Bookmark, that is, is still open and seemingly surviving just fine… and it’s mere steps away.
So then: small mercies, thanks, etc.
I’m thinking that maybe Heidi Hallet should have taken on a partner that was familiar with business operations, marketting and hip to the latest trends. Or hired a marketing firm. Or a consultant. There is no reason that she should have failed when other independent bookstores thrive. This is the time of alternative media and marketing. Forget the old school methodology. Learn a new trick to market the store.
CaptainPop – are you serious? What other independent bookstores are thriving? The Bookroom went under last year and there are only five independent bookstores left in the city (two of which are children’s bookstores) and those five are barely surviving, and certainly not “thriving.” You’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.
chris902: For clarification, I did not refer to independent bookstores specific to the Halifax geographic, but to bookstores in general across the country and beyond. Hence, not refering to Halifax specifically. The Bookroom closed for pretty much the same reasons as Frog Hollow Books. On a side note, please respect this forum enough to refrain from abusive comments as it does not serve any purpose in this forum.
Independent bookstores across the continent are struggling – Pages in Toronto just went out of business and even the Strand in NYC has seriously cut back on its purchasing of non-used stock. The general climate of independent bookstores is dire and even more so in Halifax. It’s easy to sit on the other side of the country and preach good business practices when you know literally nothing about the industry you’re discussing. I’m not being abusive, I’m just calling you on your shit.
chris902: Have you researched recent news or Stats Can reports? Or are you still stuck in the past reading outdated material? Independent bookstores across this country are thriving. The ones that close just cannot or are unwilling to grasp the new concepts of marketing and advance into the new age. many others are thriving with new ideas, reinventions and better positioning. Type and BookCity are two stores that have been very successful. And more are popping up around the country to grab market share away from box stores and online juggernauts like Amazon and Indigo. You see, Chapters carries BIG books, popular books, mainstream books. Ecclectic is hard to find there, focused community-related is impossible to find. And the staff are just plain uninformed when it comes to book. If the computer doesn’t tell them what to think, then they don’t. So you can “call” me on my “shit” if you like, but don’t be surprised that it ends up all over your face along with the egg. My suggestion is that the next time you wish to debate, do your research before spouting off.
CaptainPop: You claim a fair amount of authority on this issue, but I found contradictory results when I completed a substantial research project on this topic last year. While there is certainly potential and there have been success stories in independent bookselling, they are highly context-dependent. I think chris902 is closer to the truth. Independents claim an ever-shrinking portion market share for bookselling, and are the only link on an independent/indie information-dissemination chain (author/publisher/seller) that cannot receive support for the government – even though most publishers recognize the value of independent bookstores for promoting local/small press publications and community literary life. Bookselling has always been a labour of love more than a money-making venture: the profit margins are abysmal for sellers who cannot purchase in bulk, and people’s expectations about delivery and pricing have placed independent booksellers in a precarious position. From my position, I see Frog Hollow Books as taking part in all the innovative “business operations, marketting [sic] … latest trends” that could be launched given a limited amount of capacity (such as promoting local/community authors through events and stock and developing presences on major social networking tools – I followed them on their “frog blog” and facebook pages). It’s worth considering that Business partners are not often drawn to difficult financial climates, and major changes (such as digitization, store renovation, substantial stock diversification) take major resources. In my opinion, Frog Hollow Books lacked nothing in heart, effort, and innovation. There are wider forces at work here. While you accuse Chris902 of making abusive comments, consider how your own defamation of a local store with a dedicated staff make people who went regularly and appreciated the store (like me) feel mistreated. Dear Frog Hollow… I’ll miss you guys.
I think it’s a tough time for business, and I am sad to see Frog Hollow close. Just recently(July I think) a lovely new book shop has opened in Upper Tantallon, (The Annex, 820-3700) I hope they do really well, as I LOVE books and bookstores!!!!