THE LAST BOOKSTORE
WELL, as the real “The Last Bookstore” in Los Angeles, California states on its incredible website, “We’re not really the last bookstore – thank goodness – but we are the largest new and used bookstore in California. Plus, we’re the only one that’s 22,000 sq. feet with a record store, comic book store, 5 art studios, an epic yarn shop, a famous book tunnel, a mammoth head, and unexpected nooks of funkiness. Also we are in a hundred-year-old bank building, so we have vaults and ghosts. Oh, and we also have tons of books. Tons.”
In this era of loss and troubles, bookstores and libraries closing en masse, traditional publishers, like Savant Books and Publications, looking into becoming online fee-for-service vanity publishers, it’s nice to see and hear something positive. And positive is the very essence of their website (visiting their brick and mortar store is now on my “definitive” bucket list): https://www.lastbookstorela.com. Hey, I actually remember BCE (before the common era of self-publishing) / PC (pre-COVID) when bookstores actually looked like this! I remember their ambience and even their slightly musty smell, and, yes, I do miss them greatly.
True, as “The Last Bookstore” states on its website: “What are you waiting for? we won’t be here forever.” Given the propensity of bookstores to become a “business” (gauged mainly by whether it incurs increasing profit) rather than a service to humanity (think of all the children today who may never experience or even see a living, working bookstore or library). The future of publishing, i.e. providing a totally digital nexus between new publications and readers, is, at best, lackluster compared to the “good old days” and already almost totally driven by the profit motive these days. I think of two futures for publishing: (1) everything digital; and (2) everything movie (animated or cinematic) rather than printed books which are already becoming a boutique, if not actual antique item. Which future will prevail? Likely a combination of both, where book publishers join forces with movie production studios, much as Savant Books and Publications has been acquired by K. Simmons Productions — https://kspllc.media. The “new” Savant Books and Publications — https://www.savantbooksandpublication... — has been headed in both directions for over five years, while still retaining its commitment to producing “outstanding, enduring works for the twenty-first century.” No matter what the future of bookstores or business, I still believe the most remarkable will be always end up those dedicated to the highest quality communication with a firm, continued commitment to positive human experiences.
In this era of loss and troubles, bookstores and libraries closing en masse, traditional publishers, like Savant Books and Publications, looking into becoming online fee-for-service vanity publishers, it’s nice to see and hear something positive. And positive is the very essence of their website (visiting their brick and mortar store is now on my “definitive” bucket list): https://www.lastbookstorela.com. Hey, I actually remember BCE (before the common era of self-publishing) / PC (pre-COVID) when bookstores actually looked like this! I remember their ambience and even their slightly musty smell, and, yes, I do miss them greatly.
True, as “The Last Bookstore” states on its website: “What are you waiting for? we won’t be here forever.” Given the propensity of bookstores to become a “business” (gauged mainly by whether it incurs increasing profit) rather than a service to humanity (think of all the children today who may never experience or even see a living, working bookstore or library). The future of publishing, i.e. providing a totally digital nexus between new publications and readers, is, at best, lackluster compared to the “good old days” and already almost totally driven by the profit motive these days. I think of two futures for publishing: (1) everything digital; and (2) everything movie (animated or cinematic) rather than printed books which are already becoming a boutique, if not actual antique item. Which future will prevail? Likely a combination of both, where book publishers join forces with movie production studios, much as Savant Books and Publications has been acquired by K. Simmons Productions — https://kspllc.media. The “new” Savant Books and Publications — https://www.savantbooksandpublication... — has been headed in both directions for over five years, while still retaining its commitment to producing “outstanding, enduring works for the twenty-first century.” No matter what the future of bookstores or business, I still believe the most remarkable will be always end up those dedicated to the highest quality communication with a firm, continued commitment to positive human experiences.
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