Joan Belongia, the owner of Brown Street Books in Rhinelander, Wis., announced in an e-mail sent to her customers earlier this month that the 18-year-old bookstore will close its doors for good sometime in August. The store’s inventory is heavily discounted (40%-45%) and, as of July 30, only cash sales will be accepted.
Belongia told PW that, due to a number of factors, she decided in late June to close her store, a decision she’d been contemplating since February. “Kindle, Nook, paperback discounts at Barnes and Noble, Amazon...I just can’t compete,” she explained. Sales at Brown Street Books have dropped 5% each year for the past two years. Christmas sales were lackluster this year, and a huge snowstorm in January halved sales to teachers and librarians at an annual event held offsite that was sponsored by the regional reading council.
“I think with Borders closing, publishers will raise prices. What else can they do? Borders is gone, and booksellers will bear the brunt of it,” she added.
Brown Street Books has four part-time employees affected by the store’s closing.
