Despite the high demand for e-books and the growing power of corporate chains, the Rochester community still has an ever present and colorful independent bookstore community.
In November, the National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Optimism Index dropped by 1.3 percent. This index measures and predicts the growth of business, employment and expansion for independent businesses, including bookstores, across America.
Despite this drop, the Rochester independent bookstore scene seems colorful as ever. According to RochesterWiki, 30 local bookstores sell new, used and antique books. Included in that list are Small World Books, Lift Bridge Book Shop and Yesterday’s Muse.
Small World Books is owned by Rocco Pellegrino of Rochester and has two locations in the city: 425 North St. and 1522 Mt. Hope Ave. According to Pellegrino, his inventory largely consists of both older and contemporary classics that he obtains for the store in a variety of ways.
“I go to estate sales and library sales,” said Pellegrino. “Pittsford Library and Penfield Library have one or two sales a year. People also bring books. Usually, I buy things that I like and that I think can resell.”
As for the genres, Pellegrino says that the store’s collection includes “something of everything” -- classic literature, science fiction, mystery and even children’s novels.
Concerning how he got into the bookselling business in the first place, Pellegrino said, “I like reading, so I kept buying books. My first store was 30 years ago in Henrietta.”
At the time, his first business was named Village Gate Bookstore. He moved his store to different locations around the Rochester area and renamed it Small World Books 20 years ago. He purchased the North Street location 10 years ago, where he profited mostly off of eBay sales to all over the country.
According to Pellegrino, he wanted to do more retail sales, which is why he looked for a second location and found the Mt. Hope Avenue building, where he opened Small World’s College Town Books in September 2015.
Overall, Pellegrino says that the most rewarding part of running a business such as an indie bookstore is meeting others who share his interests.
“You get enjoyment from people who also like to read,” said Pellegrino. “Certain authors, I encourage people to read. On one hand, it’s a business, but it’s selling things you have love for.”
Nestled within the village of Brockport, independently ownedLift Bridge Book Shop also offers the community used books, as well as newer books. Owned by John Bonczyk and Cody Steffan, both of Brockport, Lift Bridge Book Shop is located at 45 Main St.
While Steffan and Bonczyk became owners just last year, the store has been around for 42 years. Bonczyk originally worked at the store part time. After graduating with his degree in accounting, Bonczyk eventually ended back up at the store working in payroll.
“I always liked to read,” said Bonczyk. “Corporate America wasn’t what I wanted to be.”
After returning, Bonczyk was able to meet with Steffan and after realizing that they complemented each other well, they decided to take over the business after the previous owners retired. After eight months of training, the two were able to become official owners of Lift Bridge Book Shop.
According to Bonczyk, the store primarily sells new and used books of a variety of genres along with games, toys, and gifts.
“We used to be textbooks,” said Bonczyk. “We used to see a lot of college kids, but then textbooks became very expensive and they were selling less and less.” Now, Bonczyk says that many of the store’s repeat customers are families and older readers.
When it comes to running a local bookstore, Bonczyk said, “There’s a lot of effort and energy put into our shelves and I’m proud of it. It’s a gem here. When they (new customers) do find it, it’s kind of like I’m doing my job well. It feels great.”
Yesterday’s Muse, 32 W. Main St. in Webster, also stocks both new and used modern and classics, along with rare and collectible books. According to the owner, Jonathan Smalter of Webster, Yesterday’s Muse opened in 2007; however, he began selling books in 2001.
“When I was 17, I started working at a used bookshop here in the village,” said Smalter. “I worked there through college and it taught me the ropes and how to sell books online, which I never really delved into that before.”
According to Smalter, during college, he began selling used books out of his closet at Nazareth College and has been selling books ever since.
“I had the online business for I think seven years before having the shop. I wanted a place where I could go each day,” said Smalter. “I need to have somewhere I can go to work every day and actually interact with because because that’s kind of half of the fun of the business - talking about the books that we sell.”
One unique aspect of the books found in Yesterday’s Muse is that some of them are antiquarian and collectible books. Antiquarian books are books that are old enough to be considered antiques, while collectible books are generally the first editions of classics.
“There are collectible books that aren’t necessarily antiquarian ones,” said Smalter. For example, Steinbeck’s works are still in print, but if you have a hardcover first edition with the original dust jacket of The Grapes of Wrath, that’s a very expensive book. Probably a $7,500 book.”
According to Smalter, he occasionally finds such books at book fairs, such as the one that is held in Rochester every September. More often, many of the rare books come through the door at Yesterday’s Muse.
“Having the store is actually great for that,” said Smalter. “Yesterday, I bought a collection of three stacks of Sherlock Holmes books, which I didn’t need to nose around trying to find where they were. They just came right in the door.”
Overall, to Smalter, independent bookstores not only offer the opportunity to obtain books like these, but they are also equally important for the experiences that they bring.
“There’s very few places you can go these days where there’s no requirement to spend any money...You can just go into a bookstore and browse and talk to the proprietor about things you like and they can probably tell you stories or recommend something you weren’t expecting. Those experiences are really something you can’t get anywhere else.
While each of these bookstores has its own focus and flair, one thing remains the same - the owners all believe the physical book is still crucial in 2015.
“Books are both knowledge and entertainment,” said Pellegrino. “They’re a measure of the culture of the city. A book is an artifact. The art is visual,classic modern literature has the time of the book.”
“Everyone looks at so many screens,” said Bonczyk. “It’s relaxing to read a book. It’s a tactile experience. Book reading relaxes you. You may not realize it until you’re done, but it does.”
“People attach memories to objects like that (books),” said Smalter. “There’s fewer and fewer things these days where you can see something or smell something and have an immediate emotional connection to it.It seems there are fewer things we can latch onto and say ‘This thing is a part of my life and it’s important to me’.”
This story by Caitlin Murphy is part of a journalism collaboration between WXXI and St. John Fisher College, giving aspiring student journalists the opportunity to report on and create stories for WXXI listeners, viewers, readers.