ArchiviaBooks, New York City, has closed. Owners Cynthia Conigliaro and Will Rogers thanked customers for "a wonderful five years" but noted that the store opened "into the headwinds of the 2008 recession" and was "a not for profit adventure" as a result. At the same time, "the ranks of those of us who cherish books, who prefer the book in its imperial format--on paper, printed, well-designed and presented in a bricks-and-mortar book shop--are diminishing and not great enough in number to support the economic realities of a self-sustaining book shop."
The owners also did not want to make "some of the undignified concessions that the new digital marketplace requires," which Conigliaro said included blogging, tweeting and engaging in other social media as well as selling books online or selling e-books. In part, the owners took this tack because she feared "putting my brains online to make it that much easier to be one click away from Amazon" and because "I wanted to encourage the community of clients coming in and talking to us in person," Conigliaro added.
The 800-sq.-ft. store on Lexington Avenue emphasized architecture, art, design, decorative arts, gardens and interiors. Conigliaro is a former Rizzoli International employee and was an owner of the original ArchiviaBooks.
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After four years in business, Pudd'nhead Books, Webster Groves, Mo., has closed. Owner Nikki Furrer told the Riverfront Times, "I'm out of money."
Furrer financed the store with a $120,000 bank loan and $40,000 in savings, the paper said. For the first two years, the store broke even, then increased events, which didn't always pay. In 2011, the store moved and cut back on events. In 2012, construction on a nearby bridge hindered access to the store and business dropped.
Furrer's conclusions: she opened the store without enough money and tried to grow too fast. She said she knew there was a 90% chance the store wouldn't work and since deciding to close, has had the five stages of grief "mixed up." She was sad in September, "I'm still in denial, I'm still angry. I haven't reached acceptance yet, but I bargained like a lunatic."