The Pittsburgh Quarterly
finds that in the Steel City "the independently owned bookstore emerges
as the keeper of smaller presses and more intimate transactions, the
hero of emerging authors and eclectic (and regional) tastes, and
depending on whom you talk to, an endangered species."
Among the stores profiled:
Among the stores profiled:
- Jay's Bookstall in Oakland, owned by Jay Dantry, who said, "This is a great business to be in! You meet a heck of a lot of very nice people--they love books, and you love books."
- Mystery Lovers' Bookshop, owned by Richard Goldman and Mary Alice Gorman, who have "built a customer base by getting to know their readers' tastes and by bringing numerous mystery authors to the Oakmont shop. In addition to year-round readings, signings and even in-store dinners, each May Mystery Lovers' hosts a one-day Festival of Mystery."
- The Big Idea, Bloomfield, which acts "like a nonprofit"--some 20 young volunteers run the left-wing store that, among other programs, donates books to local prisoners.
- Caliban Books, which sells rare and used books and does 40% of sales online, still benefits from Pittsburgh's "retro qualities," as co-owner John Schulman put it. "In Pittsburgh, people actually prefer the communication of across-the-counter buying."
- Townsend Booksellers, which has sold used books since 1991 and finds a wealth of titles in "these big old homes in Pittsburgh," co-owner Beverly Townsend said.
- Eljay's, the used bookstore with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, history, art, the Beats and "any fiction that's a little outré."
- Phantom of the Attic on Craig Street, a comics shop whose owner, Jeffrey Yandora, said, "It's a constant balancing act to see if I can pay off the bills and also still buy the new books, the new merchandise that is the backbone of my store."
- The University of Pittsburgh Book Center, where trade book buyer Russell Kierzkowski has worked since 1966. For him, "no campus event is too big or too small for him to send someone with a table of books to sell, and a professor with a new title gets the royal treatment when having a book party, signing or lecture at the Book Center."
- Copacetic Comics, a tiny shop owned by Bill Boichel, a "comics artist, writer and former filmmaker with a passion for art, photography, literature and cinema." He said: "I made a choice to edit out all the 'noise' and concentrate on putting my expertise to use in selecting works of higher quality and, in addition, to cater directly to the interest constellations of my customers."