Brian Lampkin, co-owner with Steve Mitchell of Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, N.C., "disputes the notion that independent bookstores are a struggling breed," the News & Record reported. "Independent bookstores have just had this resurgence," he said. "They did disappear, but I think people just missed them. People missed what they did for the community. People thought books were going to die like CDs, but the book has a certain kind of life. Books are still beautiful objects."
Scuppernong "is more than a bookstore. It's a gathering place for the community, a space for dialogue," the News & Record wrote.
"It's an important addition to downtown, and an expansion of Greensboro's intellectual life," said regular customer Anna Fesmire. "It's a place to not only buy books, but to talk about books, to talk about ideas.... The anonymity of the online world has a toxic side and it's important to have a space where people can meet face to face and have civilized conversations."
Acknowledging the liberal sensibilities of the store, Lampkin said they nonetheless seek to "promote conversation" between people of different political persuasions and will special order almost any book: "We definitely have our own political vision. It's undeniable. It's here. But we don't want to close off conversation either.... I do have a strong view of the First Amendment, and our obligation is to get books to people.... We're a small bookstore, though, and we have to curate. We're not censoring. But of the thousands of books published every week, we pick only very few to bring into our store."