In an age of book-selling superstores where the couches are comfy, the coffee is name brand and customers are encouraged to sit for a while and browse, read, study and drink, how can any other store compete? In Madison alone there are many options available for the literary consumer.
Although middle-class suburbia may cluster to the stacks and couches of Barnes and Noble and Borders for the sake of ease and coffee, apparently they haven't explored the numerous bookstores available on campus.
The Ameritech Yellow Pages lists approximately 45 book stores throughout the city of Madison. The UW-Madison campus and area residents are lucky enough to enjoy 12 of those stores right in the midst of downtown.
This article will highlight a few of these businesses and point out what special features independent bookstores can offer.
Avol's Book Store
Avol's Book Store, 240 W. Gilman St., is an excellent source for those seeking scholarly books'scholarly not meaning textbooks, but subjects pertaining to the sciences and philosophy. Roughly 100,000 titles of all subjects and interests are consistently on hand.
Because Avol's is a used bookstore, the selection is constantly changing. In order to achieve variety, scholarly books and collections are bought, sold and appraised everyday. A fair selection of foreign titles are also available for purchase.
Employee John McCabe commented on how Avol's isn't the place to go for a current bestseller, but if someone is looking for Chekhov or Dostoevsky a good selection is usually awaiting.
A Room of One's Own Bookstore and Coffeehouse
This book store is truly unique, but fitting for Madison. A Room of One's Own Bookstore and Coffeehouse, 307 W. Johnson St., opened its doors in 1975 when it was started by five women'some of whom were UW-Madison graduates.
'Right in the midst of the 1970s with all the women's movements, it was a crazy'but perfect time'to open the store,' said Sandi Turkildson, the only one of the original five founders still working there.
The store features magazines and books written by and for women that deal with many controversial topics such as feminism, women in history and homosexuality.
Most books are rather contemporary that usually only specialty stores carry. And while they do stock books from Oprah's Book Club, that's as mainstream as it gets.
Along with reading books, A Room of One's Own also carries textbooks for women's studies and a few other select courses whose professors choose to support the store's mission.
Canterbury Booksellers Cafe Inn
Now here is a store that can rival any corporate bookstore. Canterbury Booksellers Cafe Inn, 315 W. Gorham St., which has a selection of more than 10,000 titles has been thriving since 1991. These books, which include a children's section, are of an excellent variety that focus mainly on the arts, but not without current events, activist selections and UW-Madison textbooks chosen by professors.
Canterbury's textbook policy offers competitive pricing and gives a 50 percent buyback price if the book is going to be used the next semester.
Being an independent bookstore like the others, not many mainstream books are stocked. With a limited amount of space, only the best books can be put on the shelves.
Employee Dean Bakopoulos likes to choose 'an eclectic mix that are interesting and well-written.'
Canterbury does emphasize the importance of being well-written. Even if the book is not entirely read, the first page must at least be interesting enough in order for the book to stay on the shelf.
There is also a coffee shop owned and run by Ancora where people can$ sit and read while enjoying coffee and a muffin. As a way to interact more with the public Canterbury frequently has guest authors do book readings and signings, as well as host book clubs and the annual poetry festival. Some authors coming to Canterbury this October are Iowa Poet Laureat Marvin Bell and National Book Award Winner Ha Jin.
While there could be more segments to this story including Paul's Book Store, McDermott Books, Mimosa Community Bookstore, Shakespeare's Books, Shakti, Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative and Alternative Realities Bookshop, hopefully the previous three give a glimpse of what great bookstores lie right downtown.
