Robin’s Bookstore Not Closing, Just Modernizing
In a city plagued in the last few years by the loss of a number of old-school independent bookstores (most recently Hibberd’s, back in January), word that Robin’s was closing its used-book annex at 19th and Chestnut streets had local bibliophiles bracing themselves for the worst. But bushy-bearded proprietor Larry Robin insists that this isn’t the beginning of the end for his main 13th Street shop, and that the decision to stop the lease at the annex is part of an effort to reconfigure the 71-year-old business into a more modern, laptop-friendly haunt.
“It’s actually a positive,” Robin tells the Daily Examiner. “We’re basically moving that store into our second store.” And he wants to assure customers that it’s not a You’ve Got Mail situation in which giant, corporate cappuccino-soaked bookstores are pushing around the little guy.
“The illusion that they [Borders, et al.] are better than us is gone,” he says.
For readers, the major immediate benefit of the move will be ridiculous sales at the 19th Street store through September 30th. So now is the best time to start stockpiling your bookshelves with dog-eared classics just to appear sophisticated.
Robin’s Bookstore [Home Page]
Robin’s to Close Annex [Publishers Weekly]
