Barrington Books in Cranston to Close - Independent Booksellers Struggling Across U.S.

Barrington Books in Cranston to Close - Independent Booksellers Struggling Across U.S.

Barrington Books in Cranston is closing.

The owner Dana DeLuca-Shechtman made the announcement this week, citing the stress of managing the original location in Barrington with the one in Garden City during the pandemic. 

She said in a statement that the plan is to focus on the remaining store -- the Barrington location. 

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Independent Bookstores' Struggle

In October, the New York Times reported, "Your Local Bookstore Wants You to Know That It’s Struggling."

"According to the American Booksellers Association more than one independent bookstore has closed each week since the pandemic began," wrote the NYT. "Many of those still standing are staring down the crucial holiday season and seeing a toxic mix of higher expenses, lower sales and enormous uncertainty."

"Even though book sales have been a bright spot in an exceedingly grim national economy — they rose more than 6 percent so far this year compared with last year, according to NPD BookScan — most of those purchases are not going through independent stores," the NYT added. 

 

Challenges Overwhelming

The owners of Barrington Books said, "2020. That’s all we have to say to invoke thoughts of challenge, uncertainty, determination and resilience. This past year has presented us with a lot of life lessons. It has shown us what’s broken about our world, our global community and our economy. But it has also revealed some beautiful things: the support from local community, the humanity shown to neighbors during difficult times, and the importance of resilience and adaptability for small businesses."

"What this past year has shown us is that our customers, near and far, have come to expect a certain level of service and product availability, a special sauce of familiarity and attention, no matter how or where it originates. With an incredible effort to grow our online presence and with Rhode Island being so accessible, we have come to the conclusion that less is, in fact, more. We no longer sense a need for two locations to tell our story to generations to come. To that end, we have been tirelessly planning the ultimate pivot: we have decided not to renew our lease in Garden City and we will be unveiling a completely rejuvenated and enhanced shopping experience in our Barrington location in the weeks to come," Barrington Books wrote.

The pandemic has hit bookstores hard -- there are no in-person book signings with authors, readings for children or just sitting and reading.

"The physical, emotional and financial toll of running two locations during this time of extraordinary strain will last for years to come. Despite that, we are energized by all we’ve learned and we are excited to share it with our team, our customers, friends and neighbors in the form of a total renovation, enhanced culture, streamlined product mix and commitment to social values within our community," says Barrington Books.

On the positive side, the company will continue in Barrington, "We thank you for your unwavering support and we appreciate your patience during the next few months of construction and unveiling. We are grateful that we get to share our vision and commitment with all of you. Here’s to another 35 years!"

Closing details:

Please visit the consolidation sale at our Garden City location for 30% off storewide. All sales final.

And for all the gift card holders they will be honored at the Barrington location and on our website.