In the space of a few days, two news stories – one pumped out through the usual literary sources (Book Brunch, Book2Book, the Bookseller); the other through a rather more personal channel – cast the differing fortunes of the independent book trade into stark relief. On the one hand, Foyles was announcing its latest expansion, to improved premises adjacent to its iconic shop on Charing Cross Road; on the other was a small shop sending out a very real SOS to its friends on Facebook and Twitter. However heartwarming the story from Foyles, the one from the Big Green Bookshop in London's far-from-fashionable Wood Green was equally heart-breaking.
Formed as a reaction to the closure of the local Ottakar's store, the Big Green Bookshop set itself up as a shamelessly community-focused resource: a kind of literary Cheers, where everyone knows your name. The local television news covered their start-up; their blog attracted well-wishers far away from their natural base in the capital's north-east hinterlands; the two owners, Simon and Tim, became well-known in the area. Yet three years after their opening, the Big Green Bookshop was forced to send an email out to their virtual followers that echoed the signs I used to see at the local corner shop: use us or lose us.
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