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• Frank IBC on May 5, 2017 at 11:38am
  I don't want to take away from the point you made, but there aren't many bookstores left WOTP, either. Just Politics & Prose, the campus bookstores in AU and Georgetown U, and one more in Georgetown.
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• Frank IBC on May 5, 2017 at 11:41am
  Correction - there are two bookstores in Georgetown - Bridge Street Books and The Lantern.
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• CrossingBrooklynFerry on May 5, 2017 at 12:20pm
  Campus bookstore at CUA?
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• John Muller on May 5, 2017 at 12:24pm
  Did the Used Book Store right off Wisconsin Ave, by the foot of the library, close?
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• John Muller on May 5, 2017 at 12:26pm
  I can't remember its name, I think the name was "Used Book Store" or something real simple. It was in the basement of a home. They had some good stuff. 
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• Tracy Loh on May 5, 2017 at 3:46pm
  It closed years ago. I used to shop there on the reg - I was sad to see it go.
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• slowlane on May 5, 2017 at 9:45pm
  There is also a large Barnes & Noble in Brookland, on Michigan Ave.
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• Frank IBC on May 6, 2017 at 12:01am
  The "large Barnes & Noble on Michigan Avenue" is Catholic University's bookstore. B&N's college bookstores are now a completely separate company. The last "regular" B&N in the District closed at the end of 2015.
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• Alan on May 8, 2017 at 1:36am
  The point of this article is the complete absence of bookstores altogether, in a large part of a modern city (said large part containing tens of thousands of residents), not the general scarcity of bookstores, which is related to macroeconomic factors. The piece neglected to mentioned a second hand bookstore launched by WeACT Radio in Anacostia just days before this article was published.
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• John Muller on May 8, 2017 at 4:19am

  @Alan: Thanks for your note. More information on planned launch of The Charnice Milton Community Bookstore to be included in forthcoming article. Appreciate your interest.

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• anonymous library staffer on May 5, 2017 at 11:41am

  Thanks for this great article on the importance of bookstores!  I just wanted to add that DCPL, in my experience, is super committed to prioritizing access to books for families in DC--we charge no overdue fines for children's materials, have a 30 day grace period for all returns, and allow patrons to renew materials up to 10 times as long as no other patrons have the item on hold. Children who receive DC OneCards through their schools can automatically use them as library cards. 

  Also, we don't block cards for overdue/lost item fees unless the total is more than $40.  Clearly, though, we need to be doing more to reach out with this information and allay people's fears, because what we're doing now doesn't seem to be working as well as it could be. Any suggestions? 

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• Anonymous on May 5, 2017 at 11:49am
  In the spirit of adding resources, not of nitpicking, I believe there's also a small bookstore at the Kennilworth Aquatic Gardens, similar to the one at Frederick Douglass. Otherwise, great article.
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• Alan on May 8, 2017 at 1:38am
  Also, the recently opened (and small) second hand bookstore within WeACT radio. Access seems slightly impeded by their locked door policy (residents would have to knock and then be admitted), but I suppose that is a security precaution?
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• John Muller on May 8, 2017 at 4:21am
  There is no bookstore yet. Details will be announced shortly. Thanks for your support and interest.
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• Chester B. on May 5, 2017 at 11:51am

  If the Barnes and Noble in Bethesda can't survive (it's closing soon), what outlook does a bookstore east of the Anacostia River have? 

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• drumz on May 5, 2017 at 11:56am

  Quite a few libraries missing in Arlington which has 9 branches overall.

  http://library.arlingtonva.us/locations/

  Also hard to believe there are no branches in areas comprising eastern MoCo/NW PG county.

  That may not help poor residents in DC but it is nice that there is reciprocity among library systems. I was getting most of my books from MLK Branch downtown until they closed.

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• slowlane on May 5, 2017 at 9:44pm

  The map is incorrect. It misses showing several libraries in inner P.G. County, as well as several libraries in Arlington, the Beatley library in Western Alexandria, and the Annandale library.

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• Bill Smith on May 5, 2017 at 11:57am

  If there are 6 open libraries in the area it is not a "book desert".

  What are the 'hidden' costs of using a library?  Are the 'hidden' costs higher or lower than actually buying a book from a local bookstore?

  Any problems with using for kids using the public library do need to be addressed.

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• John Muller on May 5, 2017 at 12:21pm

  As an aside, there are a couple places east of the river where books can be purchased, but in my mind the only place close to "book store" or an aspiring equivalent is the gift shop / store at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site 1411 W Street SE.

  You can purchase Muslim-related and Islamic-related texts / books from Mr. Muhammad and his staff at America's Islamic Heritage Museum on the Avenue.

  Last I knew, the Giant on Alabama sells limited copies of romance books and popular titles along w/ magazines. 

  There used to be a Bible-related store on Sheriff Road NE, similar to the one on Florida Ave NW. They sold religious texts. Also, Busy Bee's Anacostia Art Gallery & Boutique used to sell limited books up on Bruce Place SE, by the Anacostia Community Museum. 

  Yet, non of these places are truly book stores. The next post will discuss the last book store east of the river with quotes and commentary from poets, writers and a book store owner. Stay tuned ... or, rather, turn the page, or, rather, click the next story. 

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• oboe on May 5, 2017 at 12:22pm

  "If you want to buy a book east of the Anacostia River, the lone literary oasis is the compact gift shop at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. "

  The real crime here is the lack of National Historic Sites within a five-minute walk.

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• Andy on May 5, 2017 at 12:58pm
  Businesses can only stay open if there is enough demand in sales for it to stay open. If access to fresh food sources, a more important concern to poorer residents east of the river, are in short supply due to the viability of the business, how would there be any great demand to buy books?  As a resident EOTR who regularly make use of the libraries, I can attest that the libraries are clean, safe, welcoming places for children, and that it's much more practical for poorer families to borrow than buy books. I am all for programs that give children free books, but to think bookstores, which are dying in general, would be financially successful opening in locations where there is much less disposable income, is an unrealistic view.
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• amj2g on May 5, 2017 at 1:09pm

  ☝(ʘ‿ʘ)  This guy

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• Cubsfan6116 on May 5, 2017 at 1:40pm
  Awesome comment!  +1,000!
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• Chris T on May 5, 2017 at 2:48pm
  Andy wins the common sense award for this thread!
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• curious on May 5, 2017 at 3:14pm
  Yes the common sense, not insanely liberal wing of GGW commenters thank you
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• Alan on May 8, 2017 at 1:41am
  Andy, there is plenty of demand for more grocery stores EOTR, as is evident from the long lines in the Safeway in Ward 7. I have not been in the Giant in Ward 8 recently (not since 2011), but I recall brisk business therein as well. Your comment does not seem to be based on empirical data or even anecdotal data, so it is hilarious to see your comment receive kudos here.
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• slowlane on May 8, 2017 at 2:12pm
  The last time I checked, Gary, Indiana - a large industrial city - did not have a single bookstore either.
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• Chester B. on May 8, 2017 at 2:14pm

  The last time I checked, Gary, Indiana - a large industrial city - did not have a single bookstore either.

  Gary has campus bookstores; do those count?

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• Peter on May 5, 2017 at 1:10pm

  Books are kind of not a big thing anymore. People use E-Books, Websites and Kindle for reading these days. 

  There isn't much point to opening several bookstores across the river just to have them close down a month later because no one visits. 

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• Alex B. on May 5, 2017 at 1:47pm

  Curious to see the next installment. 

  I'm not yet convinced about the food desert analogy. The grocery business is hard and low margin, but it hasn't been subject to nearly the disruption of brick and mortar retail generally, and books specifically. 

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• Wanderer on May 5, 2017 at 2:22pm
  Bookstores nationally have taken an enormous hit in the last decade. But the data now shows sales and number of bookstores leveling off. The strongest bookstores seem to be surviving, but a lot are gone. Public libraries are terrific, but bookstores fulfill different functions. For example, little kids often like to read a book over and over, and it's better to buy it if you can.
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• CrossingBrooklynFerry on May 5, 2017 at 2:38pm

  IIUC the biggest losses among bookstores are the big boxes (Borders and B&N) and the dept store chains.  The small indies, if not growing, are often surviving reasonably well - though sometimes by diversifying to games and gifts, and of course to coffee and pastries.   

  Not sure that is a business model that works in a poor or working class area, as most (but not all) of EOTR is. Seems like libraries still the best bet to fight the book desert.   Though I would think a place like the Arts Center in Anacostia would be a good place for a bookstore.  

  Anyone know if the new Shallal outlet will include a bookstore? 

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• Alan on May 8, 2017 at 1:53am
  Shallal is a shrewd businessman, I'm sure he realizes the vacuum of competition EOTR and will have a bookstore in his EOTR Busboys. The opening was recently delayed to early 2018, though. Perhaps that will help foot traffic with at least one residential project on MLK projected to come online near that time (the Big K site project is due to open in late 2018?).
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• Mark on May 5, 2017 at 2:54pm

  The article is trying really hard to push some kind of agenda when the reality is that the overall market has changed in recent years regardless of location.  Borders wiped out many of the smaller chains and independents.  Borders failed, largely in part to changing consumer preferences and purchasing behavior which moved online, plus the expense of operating large storefronts and housing inventory on site.  In spite of all its wealth and million dollar plus median home price, San Francisco has only a handful of small bookstores (Books Inc., Alexander Books) which are doing okay, but the cost of doing business/increasing rents are threatening them as well.  In fact, a popular Books Inc. on a large commercial stretch of upper Market St. closed last year when the landlord decided to jack up the rent.

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• dcer52 on May 5, 2017 at 2:56pm

  Well it looks like after the great "Food Desert" crisis was totally debunked, we now move on to the "Book Desert."

  They opened a Yes Organic Market right on Pennsylvania Ave, East of the infamous River, and guess what happened? Nobody shopped there. It went out of business. Sounds a lot like a "Food Desert" of a neighborhood's own making to me.

  I guess people who live East of the River can't use Amazon? They can't go to the FREE library?

  Give me a break with this garbage. Stop making excuses for the horrible choices (not buying healthy food, not reading to their kids)  some people make.

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• CrossingBrooklynFerry on May 5, 2017 at 3:44pm

  Have you had a child?  A bookstore is a playground for intellectual curiosity.  They are impulsive, and see pictures of things that interest them and pick up a book.  Its not the same as searching for something online.  

  I do hope for more on how the libraries are addressing this.  DC is at least in a better situation than some rust belt cities hit much harder by library budget cuts. 

  Also I think the choices made by many of those parents are conditioned by some of their own life experiences. Call that making excuses if you wish.

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• Alan on May 8, 2017 at 1:45am

  Yes Organic had several problems, one of which was: the parking lot that was available had no signage visible from the street (meaning passerbys might believe no off street parking was available), the location had little foot traffic (it was across the street from a gas station and no other viable retail was nearby), etc. 

  Also, you cite no empirical data to back up your claim that people EOTR are making "horrible choices" regarding not buying healthy food or reading to their children in any noticeably greater proportion than society at large, but thanks for your unfounded guesswork?

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• DM on May 8, 2017 at 4:03pm

  But doesn't a library similarly foster intellectual curiosity? I grew up in comfortable suburbia, but I have far more memories of going to the public library as a kid to get books than I do of going to the nearby Barnes & Noble. I imagine that’s even more true for lower-income families—especially since, let’s be real, it’s not like Busboys & Poets or Politics & Prose is stocking "The Berenstain Bears."

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• Wendy, a Mom in Bethesda on May 8, 2017 at 4:51pm

  Sure, a library is WONDERFUL for fostering intellectual curiosity. The author readings; artworks on display, and kids' activities at our Bethesda Library are priceless. 

  But when there was a waiting list at the library of 63 people for "Hillbilly Elegy," I bought it (and "Hidden Figures") at Barnes & Noble. I really wanted to support the store.  I took out a movie from the library--"Persepolis"--and it's due in three days. I'd better watch it soon! We.need.a.bookstore. And a library. Can't we support both? Barnes & Noble was trying to get a slightly less expensive rent, and First Federal wanted a sky-high rent. So by-by, Barnes & Noble. We still need a bookstore as a community gathering place that is open later than the library, and whose offerings are different than those of a library.  

     
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• Mark on May 9, 2017 at 2:15pm
  I grew up in the burbs south of Buffalo.  As kids and teens, the public library was the gathering spot to lose yourself in the stacks (or make out in the stacks).  There were bookstores in the nearby malls, but the libraries were always packed, especially on weekends.  Also, keep in mind that these public libraries weren't glorified day care centers or homeless magnets.
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• Jason S. on May 5, 2017 at 3:21pm

  I don’t want to be too harsh, but this seems like a complete non-issue.

  First, bookstores as they existed in the past simply aren’t a viable business model anymore. Borders went bankrupt in 2010. Waldenbooks, once a huge name in the industry, suffered a similar fate, being acquired by Kmart/Borders after 50+ years of successful operation before ultimately failing with the Borders bankruptcy. Barnes & Nobel is alive for now, but they’re facing severe difficulties, and their stock is 80% lower than it was a decade ago. The Nook e-reader is one of the few things keeping the company alive. Meanwhile, companies like Amazon can deliver books (and anything else) anywhere in the country. A house in EOTR DC can access a much wider variety of books for cheaper than they ever could with physical brick-and-mortar locations. To live in 2017 in EOTR DC is to live in one of the best times and best places in the history of humanity for access to books thanks to companies like Amazon. To say otherwise is simply false.

  The few remaining bookstores are college bookstores or specialty shops that have managed to establish a community through things like book clubs and author speaking series. Presumably, companies have crunched the numbers and concluded that a shop in EOTR DC would be unprofitable. In cases where the private sector fails to provide a suitable option, the public sector is expected to act. The libraries that this article dismisses are great options for access to books, especially for folks with less disposable income to spend on them. As for calling a book your own, even if Amazon or a twenty minute Metro ride aren’t options, libraries get rid of books all the time to make room for newer books. Simply talk to your librarian. If they have a book that you really want, chances are, you’ll be allowed to purchase it, possibly at a significantly discounted rate.

  Finally, even if that entire section of DC is bookstore-free, I would guess there are parts of Loudoun County physically further from bookstores than anywhere in EOTR DC. I don’t think this site is going to run an article about the folks that have to drive to Leesburg to buy a book. By suburban standards (and EOTR DC is definitely suburban from a land use perspective), they have reasonably decent access to bookstores.

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• Alan on May 8, 2017 at 1:48am
  And yet at least two new bookstores have opened in the city since the Borders bankruptcy (East City Bookshop [correct name?] and the Barnes and Noble on Catholic's campus [which sells general interest books as well as textbooks). Perhaps others opened that I did not notice (I am not included the bookstores located inside of new Busboys and Poets locations, although those should count as well). Yet, none of those opened EOTR. Your point would be salient if no new bookstores were opening in the city post-2010 at all.
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• Jay Roberts on May 5, 2017 at 3:32pm

  Politics and Prose is thriving.

  Derek Hyra event at Bus Boys and Poets, where people had to be turned away at the door.

  Alec Baldwin’s recent “Conversation With” event ($55) at the Lisner Auditorium sold out. 

  Two weeks ago 700 tickets went quickly for a talk with Dave Grohl and his mother at the Black Cat. 

   And, of course, standing room only is nothing new at Politics and Prose, as well as being packed in like sardines. And even when they hold the event at places such the Sixth and I synagogue, the event can sell out. 

  The paradox to me is there is not an equivalent in Northern Virginia.
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• Falls Church on May 5, 2017 at 3:44pm
  Based on cursory internet research, the entire county of Fauqier has only one bookstore  -- The Cellar in downtown  Warrenton at the court house. I guess they're practically a book desert too!
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• dcer52 on May 8, 2017 at 12:50pm

  I actually visited the (supposed) only bookstore in Page County this weekend. A used bookstore on Main Street in Luray. Nice little place with a friendly staff.

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• CrossingBrooklynFerry on May 5, 2017 at 3:45pm

  The paradox to me is there is not an equivalent in Northern Virginia.

  An indie, you mean, not a BP&P?   Cause there is the latter in Shirlington.   There is a nice little indie book store in EFC, near the metro.  I don't know what they do in terms of events.  

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• Falls Church on May 5, 2017 at 3:53pm
  To counteract the lack of book buying opportunities, why not host regular book sales of donated books at say 50 cents a book? I'm sure lots of people would donate their excess books to a cause like that. 
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• FHE on May 5, 2017 at 4:02pm
  Good suggestion -- the DC Public Library Friends group has chapters for most of the EOTR branches, but I'm not aware of any book sales over there.  I know there is a monthly book sale at the Southeast Branch, which may be the closest.
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• Mike on May 5, 2017 at 4:21pm
  So, "bookstore deserts" are one more sign of what's plaguing EOTR? Most of the only bookstores left are a few independent stores that have become multi-use "destinations" like Busboys and Poets, Kramerbooks and Politics and Prose, college and monument bookstores and the tiny little second hand low rent fly by night second hand stores that come and go like the wind. The chains are mostly gone even in the suburbs. Bookstores have almost become as extinct as video stores, which these days are just limited to a few vestigial "Capitol Video Sales"/MVC styled peep show outlets. Sorry but Amazon killed the video and bookstore star. She's been dead for years now.
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• Chester B. on May 5, 2017 at 4:24pm

  In my next post, I will explore...what it would take to open a bookstore 

  $$$

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• Do Gooder on May 5, 2017 at 6:31pm

  Unlike a grocery store, bookstores are relatively easy to start up. Rent some space and collect/buy in bulk some old books; build up other inventory as you make sales. Shelves are pretty cheap, too.

  If you think EOTR needs more bookstores, I suggest you open one. Since there's no competition (apparently), you'll be all set for success.

  I am a firm believer in the importance of books, but this is a ridiculous cause to wring one's hands about.

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• Falls Church on May 6, 2017 at 10:39pm

  Interestingly, Amazon is opening a huge 10,000 sqft bookstore in Georgetown. Bookstores aren't dead. They just need to be reinvented:

  http://wtop.com/business-finance/2017/05/13736676/

  What Amazon bookstores look like on the inside:

  http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-amazon-chicago-store-book-tour-2017-3

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• Chris T on May 7, 2017 at 10:20am
  I agree, the concept of Amazon's store is a good one. Their data will inform them of reader tastes in real time, and Amazon has the fully developed supply chain to get new stock into the stores in near-real time. Plus they don't care if you browse and then go home and order online, because it will probably be from them anyway. The only downside for consumers is that it puts Amazon into an even more dominant market position, which long term may not be good for consumers. But the only way I see brick and mortar stores surviving is either by this kind of tailored model, and by curation of custom tastes (specialty stores, used and historical book stores, etc).
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• Falls Church on May 7, 2017 at 9:51pm

  What I find most interesting about their comcept is that they are forgoing the market for people who say "I want X book, so I'll go to the bookstore to go buy it." They're not trying to cram as many books as possible into their stores by only displaying the spines of books, rather than the covers.

  The point of their stores is for people to discover new books, not go and buy books they know they want. It's the pursuit of finding hidden book treasures that makes going to bookstores fun in the first place and that's what their stores are geared toward. 

  The other point of their stores is to sell/showroom electronics like an Apple store. 50% of the store is electronics. But calling it a bookstore is a lot cooler just like calling it Kramer Books is a lot cooler than Kramer Restaurant. 

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• Frank IBC on May 7, 2017 at 10:27am

  The Bethesda Barnes & Noble looks so lonesome there.

  The boostore in DTSS is the used bookstore on Bonifant Street. That is the only other one visible for lower Montgomery County.

  There is also a religious bookstore in the lower level of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

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• Cavan on May 8, 2017 at 11:06am
  Forgot the Hyattsville Busboys and Poets.
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• Wendy, a Mom in Bethesda on May 8, 2017 at 12:09pm

  I'm desperately hoping we can bring a bookstore to downtown Bethesda, after the Barnes & Noble closes at the end of the year. A bookstore is a gathering place for the community, and after B&N closes, there will be no such gathering place for Bethesda--except perhaps the Apple store, with everyone staring at a screen. The space was perfect, but too large for any bookstore but Amazon to fill. 

  There are those who will try to keep Barnes & Noble in Bethesda, as we tried to keep Bruce Variety Store, in another location. But there are not that many good commercial locations in Bethesda. Our county council and planning board know only how to approve huge high-rises filled with exorbitant condos. 

  So--unless Andy Shallal and Busboys and Poets choose to come, or Amazon, or Politics and Prose, you can add Bethesda to your list of bookstore deserts. 

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• Chester B. on May 8, 2017 at 12:15pm

  Isn't Andy Shallal boycotting Montgomery County?

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• CrossingBrooklynFerry on May 8, 2017 at 1:04pm
  I am pretty sure most of the new residential buildings in Bethesda are rentals, not condos. And lots of them have retail space I think.  Certainly TOD design principles usually encourage it.  County Boards can't necessarily control where retail goes though. 
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• Dave on May 8, 2017 at 12:49pm

  Barnes & Noble has become a coffeeshop disguised as a bookstore.  The one in Tysons is doing just fine, but if you look deeper at it, literally half its floor space is given over to board games, puzzles, greeting cards, stationery, CDs, DVDs, stuffed animals, Lego, road maps, the Nook showcase and of course the Starbucks.  Lamenting its decline isn't worth your time.

  Plus, I don't know that for people with limited incomes, hanging out in a bookstore vs a library is a wise use of their financial resources.  Borrowing a book is much cheaper than buying one.
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• Wendy, a Mom in Bethesda on May 8, 2017 at 1:15pm

  There seems to be a conflation of libraries, which I love and frequent, and book stores. 

  In a bookstore, you can talk and search for gifts that are not necessarily books, including small, inexpensive items like bookmarks, art supplies, and knick-knacks in which Barnes & Noble excelled. You can eat and drink in certain areas (coffee shops)--rarely allowed in libraries. And your small children can run around a bit more in bookstores than in libraries. 

  A library is a place for quiet study. Yes, both places offer books. But a community needs BOTH a library and a bookstore to thrive. 

  Barnes & Noble was a destination for many people. It was a reason to go to downtown Bethesda. Soon, there will be one fewer reason to go to Bethesda. 

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• Michael McGuffee on May 9, 2017 at 12:22pm

  Another way to think about book deserts is to estimate the number of homes that have fewer than 100 books. This link: Interactive Book Desert Map might help focus efforts  to support families with few books. Further reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_desert

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• Lurker on May 10, 2017 at 9:02am
  This is a very oddly argued argument that isn't very convincing. If you're counting the bookstore at an NPS facility, why not also count the libraries in each school?
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• John Muller on May 10, 2017 at 9:45am

  @Lurker 

  Thanks for your comment. I don't think school libraries sell books to the general public. A one-time sale is not the same as a book store. 

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• Chester B. on May 10, 2017 at 10:18am
  When can we expect part 2?
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• Lurker on May 10, 2017 at 2:25pm
  I'm confused - we have a "book desert" EOTR, but we shouldn't count school libraries as a place that children have access to books? By your standard, wouldn't Upper NW qualify as a "book desert"? 
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• Jamila on May 10, 2017 at 11:02am

  The lack of living wage jobs for adults and the lack of affordable housing hurts children more than living in a book desert. Your article has some good points. But, overall, your thesis lacks depth because you fail to explore the more important factors that influence low literacy rates in children, which are unemployment, non-living wage jobs, and the low literacy and/or low education levels of the adults within the children’s home/community.

  Other questions you should have asked are -- Do residents East of the River want a bookstore? Which residents do and which don’t, and why? What factors contribute to the high literacy levels of children who live East of the River? Because not all children EOTR have low literacy levels or perform below grade level. 

  How would a new bookstore on Good Hope Road, Malcolm X, MLK, or Alabama, for example, help raise the literacy rates in children East of the River? Where is the evidence that a single bookstore within a community helps raise literacy levels? If this evidence exists, what else is happening within or around that single bookstore? How are the adults involved, impacted, or supported within that successful narrative? Who are the consumers of that single bookstore? Who are the community residents who attend that bookstore's programming?

  Overall, it is infuriating to read an article about low literacy rates of children East of the River (or anywhere in the States) that does not also discuss the lack of living wage jobs and the low literacy levels of the adults in those children’s lives. Bookstores are valuable treasures. Bookstores thrive because of adults who have access to disposable income. However, brick and mortar bookstores will never be the solution to ending DC’s and the U.S.’s literacy problem.

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