Why Supporting Local Shops Means More Than Just Sales

Two very different but equally beloved bookstores—Bluestockings in New York City and Brilliant Books in Traverse City, Michigan—recently announced that they’ll be closing their physical doors. Their news serves as a sobering reminder that bookstores, no matter how cherished, aren’t invincible. They need more than occasional purchases to thrive. They need community.

Bluestockings: A Radical Space Lost in Manhattan

For 26 years, Bluestockings Bookstore wasn’t just a place to buy books, it was a feminist cooperative, a safe haven, and a radical community hub. Its announcement that the doors will close at the end of 2025 cited crushing rent costs, utilities, and ongoing struggles with health and sustainability for its small staff. “It’s time to sunset, transition on our terms, and envision new chapters,” they wrote. For many, this isn’t just the loss of a bookstore—it’s the loss of a sanctuary that hosted workshops, mutual aid efforts, and a kind of community that big-box retailers can’t replicate.

Brilliant Books: A Chapter Turning in Traverse City

Meanwhile, in Michigan, Brilliant Books announced the closure of its downtown Traverse City storefront. Known as a cornerstone of the local literary scene since 2011, the store is transitioning to an online-only model. In their statement, the staff reflected on nearly two decades of community and connection, expressing heartbreak but also gratitude. They promised that subscriptions, online shopping, and used book programs would continue—but acknowledged that losing the brick-and-mortar space changes the heart of their relationship with readers.

Why Local Bookstores Matter

Both closures highlight an uncomfortable truth: bookstores can’t survive on love alone. But survival isn’t just about revenue. Yes, buying local instead of defaulting to massive online retailers matters. But what keeps indie bookstores alive is more holistic, showing up for events, volunteering, sharing their work on social media, and respecting the human effort behind the counter.

Local bookstores are cultural centers. They nurture local authors, host story times, foster difficult conversations, and build community in ways that algorithms never could. They are places where children fall in love with reading, where marginalized voices find visibility, and where neighbors become friends.

Supporting the Next Chapter

As Bluestockings envisions new forms of activism outside a storefront, and Brilliant Books transitions to a virtual presence, their stories serve as a call to action: support your local bookstore while you still can. Buy books from them, yes. But also attend events, recommend them to friends, bring your children in, offer help if they need it, and let them know they matter.

Bookstores close when they are treated like conveniences. They survive when they are treated like essential parts of the community fabric.

Because once the lights go out, what’s lost isn’t just shelves of books—it’s connection, conversation, and the kind of human-centered magic that no algorithm can ever replicate.