A pair of independent bookstores in Lincoln, Neb., are proving the "romance of a local bookstore is still attractive to many Lincolnites," the Daily Nebraskan reported, noting that even in an increasingly digital age for readers, "a substantial number believe that bookstores are still vital cultural community hubs for book lovers."
"A physical book is extremely important because it's a physical cultural interaction to give someone a book, to trade and to discuss," said Dustin Rymph of Indigo Bridge Books. "That's why a brick and mortar bookstore will remain culturally relevant until they can't stay afloat.... This particular store has a diverse and dedicated base of regulars that see the value (of the store). We'll have this swearing graphic novel book club that's sitting next to a Bible study on the same night."
Cinnamon Dokken, owner of A Novel Idea Bookstore, lauded the advent of Facebook as a community-building tool: "I was very wary of using Facebook at first because I didn't want it to be some smarmy marketing scheme that has no soul to it. But I've been so delighted that it mimics the experience in the shop so well.... It reminds me that there's nothing wrong with that medium. It all depends on how it's used."
Rymph observed that "in the sense of 'give me convenience or give me death,' I guess we are obsolete. But in a sense of something that's culturally important, absolutely not. Culture and community are still important to people and if all we had was Amazon, there would be no such thing as culture and community."
