John Cress, owner of Regina’s largest independent bookstore, the 33-year-old Book and Briar Patch, announced this week that he’ll be closing shop on July 31. The store is part of a growing list of Canadian indies pulling the plug.
In an interview with the Regina Leader-Post, Cress blamed the store’s demise on big-box chains and the growing popularity of e-books – technology he didn’t believe would be a threat until recently.
The biggest threat, Kress said, is the e-book — an electronic version of a printed book, which can be read on a computer or a hand-held device.
"When e-books first came out, a customer came in with a reader and said, 'Here's the future.' I said, 'That's not the future' — I was in denial," Kress said.
Now the 75-year-old sees the writing on the wall. E-books, he said, provide a wider selection of reading material at lower prices and the existing bookstore model is no longer sustainable.
"Any bookseller that thinks there is a hope is dreaming," Kress said. "I watch a lot of trends and things are going to get really tough."
The article does mention that the wholesale division of the Book and Briar Patch is staying in business. It serves libraries, schools, and corporate accounts.
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