Category Archives: Used Book Business

Dissapearing NY (sic)

Posted on January 22, 2019 by dorian thornley

Great mini-doc from Wheelhouse Communications’ series on Disappearing New York, about the successful crowdfunding venture to rescue Westsider Books from closure. Check out the rest of these short Dissapearing New York docs. They are very well done, quite fascinating and of … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Manhattan, new york retail, retail, Upper west side, Used Book Business | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

BOOK WARS: A New Hope

Posted on March 6, 2012 by dorian thornley

I moved into my new place in Washington Heights a few years back. The building on the next block, facing Broadway, is one of those massive, featureless apartment buildings with permanent scaffolding all around and a heavy rotation of store fronts. On the corner there … Continue reading →

Posted in books, kindle, Manhattan, new york retail, Paradigm Shift, retail, Uncategorized, Used Book Business | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

This Old Thing?

Posted on May 4, 2011 by dorian thornley

One of the greatest drawbacks of working in the same store for many years is watching robust middle-aged customers become frail old customers. Where they were once relaxed and affable, willing to hang out and bullshit for a while they … Continue reading →

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Stockholm Syndrome or the Feel of the Real

Posted on March 31, 2011 by dorian thornley

Riding the A Train in the morning I look around (as many booksellers do) and try to gauge the ratio of e-readers to print books. Most mornings it’s about 50/50, some mornings it seems to be mostly books and on the mornings when despair sets in … Continue reading →

Posted in Paradigm Shift, Used Book Business | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment