Shoptalk has learned that Outside The Lines: Books for Critical Minds (6265 Quinpool Road, 422-3544) is closing, with June 30 the final day doors will be open. Owner Bob Haywood sent an email to customers and friends explaining that the bookstore, specializing in philosophical, political and university texts, has been a money-losing proposition for some time. Anyone who is able to come by the store before Thursday will find big discounts on everything in the store.
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2010.
that is very sad, i tried guys…but the big boxes won
I don’t understand why people would want to buy from little bookstores when there is such a huge selection online with incredible pricing. I guess some people just like wasting their money and paying more for the same thing.
Let’s see, why buy from a local independent bookstore (LIB)? Because they are local, they provide jobs in the community outside the post office/courier companies. By the way, LIBs also provide employment to the PO/CCs. You, the reader, get to go somewhere you might meet someone who shares your interests. You give tourists the sense that your community reads. What else? A bookstore is a great place to pass a half hour waiting for a friend, and you might find a book to take to the beach. Books are wonderful gifts, so bookstores are wonderful places to shop for presents.
Besides an excellent selection of books, Outside the Lines also sold No Sweat sneakers, which are as cool looking as Converse All Stars but better quality and not owned by evil Nike like Converse is. They also sold Just Us! and Zatoun Palestinian fair trade products. This is a sad loss.
All of you who are going for the cheapest price are in a race to the bottom. These are our neighbours who sold to us and bought from us, now they are gone. I commend Bob for hanging on as long as he did, and wish him all the best in future endeavours. Being a private bookseller is an extreme uphill battle these days but I will continue to support them all as much as I can. In supporting them, we are supporting ourselves.