"You can judge a book by its cover, but not a reader," Lisa Neuheisel, owner of the Sequel Bookshop, Kearney, Neb., told the Kearney Hub, which noted that "after 25 years of working in bookstores, Neuheisel continues to see the changes in the retailing of books. She understands that a brick-and-mortar bookstore offers elements of shopping that websites can't."
"We offer story time, author events, we participate in community events, we pay local taxes, and we employ people from the community. Amazon doesn't," she said, adding: "We've started expanding our kids' and young adult selections. So many adults are reading young adult fiction, too."
Stressing the importance of cultivating a sense of community, Neuheisel observed: "We always want someone to leave our store feeling like we have a good selection for the type of genre they like, and that our booksellers are knowledgeable and can have a conversation with them about books."
