a plea for an endangered species

"Like anyone who goes to the bookstore, I wasn't there to buy books. I do that on the internet at, like, 50% off and free shipping and no tax." - Mindy Lahiri, The Mindy Project, episode 1.2 ("Hiring and Firing")

A couple of weeks ago I learned that Cokesbury, the purveyor of books, curriculum, and other supplies for United Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches will be closing all of its physical locations nationwide. This is a pretty staggering development for the centuries-old retailer, which is attempting to "make a greater investment in the ways of shopping with Cokesbury that customers increasingly prefer."

I was very sad when I heard the news about the Cokesbury stores closing, though at first it wasn't clear why. There are no Cokesbury stores in the state of Utah, so when I do order from the company I must do so online. Much like Mindy in the quote I cited at the beginning of this post, when I go to a bookstore I'm often scoping things out that I later plan to buy online at a cheaper price, or check out from the local library if they have it in their collection. Seemingly, I wasn't losing much by the physical outlets closing.

But there's just something special about walking through a bookstore, letting your eyes wander and occasionally flipping through the pages. Perusing link to link on Amazon just isn't quite the same; it feels somehow inauthentic. One of my great pleasures during my seminary years was occasionally moseying by the Fuller bookstore and looking through the books on the shelves. There was talk while I was a student that the bookstore might close down, but Cokesbury swept in and bought it, seemingly saving the bookstore from that fate; however, as far I know, Fuller's bookstore will be no more as of April 27th.

This isn't the first time I've lost a bookstore. Borders went the way of the dinosaur, leaving a significant gap in the commercial bookstore arena. I discovered a great bookstore near LAX as it was in the midst of a liquidation sale, meaning I got a lot of books for dirt cheap but the store vanished a few months after I found it.

I buy my books online, so I understand the Cokesbury decision and believe it's probably the most practical solution. However, I hope that even as media becomes increasingly digital, bookstores never completely die out. They may become a niche market, but nothing quite beats the feeling of exploring new literary opportunities by flipping through the pages of a physical text.