Indie bookshops remain open while big chains cut back

Following the decline of major retail chains like Whitcoulls and Borders, Auckland’s independent bookshops are surviving on services that retailers cannot offer.

Time Out Bookstore senior manager Jenna Todd says staff connect with readers through “hand selling,” drawing on their own reading knowledge to suggest titles.

“We’re really well known for having great staff and great staff recommendations. We only hire people who are huge readers, and everyone is keeping up with what’s coming out, festivals, awards, all of that,” says Todd.

Todd has managed Time Out for 16 years, and says the business is very personal.

“We know each other’s names. I have customers I’ve seen since they were pregnant, and now their kids have finished high school. it’s a strong community feeling,” says Todd.

At The Women’s Bookshop, owner Carol Beu said that kind of relationship has made many loyal customers feel personally invested in the store.

She says when it moved to its current Ponsonby location, customers helped carry and organise the books.

“Occasionally, we find ourselves almost in a counselling role. It’s more than just a bookshop. It’s a safe place for women.”

Beu has run the shop for 37 years, guided by the feminist movement of the 1970s and 80s, after her close friend from Broadsheet Magazine encouraged her to open a proper bookshop.

The shop supports LGBTQIA+ communities with dedicated sections and participates in events like Big Gay Out.

Both shops build that sense of community by hosting authors for signings and book launches that connect writers directly with readers.

The Women’s Bookshop strengthens that relationship through its annual ‘Litera-Tea’ event, celebrating eleven New Zealand women writers and drawing nearly 300 attendees, said Beu.

The digital age is being embraced in these stores while maintaining the appeal of physical books.

Beu says e-readers have not hurt sales, “People who love books love real books. We sell more books now than ever,”

Todd says this demand shows in the questions customers bring into the store, with many asking, “I haven’t read in a long time. What’s the book I should start with?” giving staff the chance to personally tailor recommendations.

She adds that independent bookstores are essential in Aotearoa New Zealand, curating stock to reflect the interests and needs of their communities.

“I think, in an ideal world, bookstores are such a foundation of communities, and communities are really lucky to have them,” says Todd.

*AI was not used in the creation of this story.