Dennis Tester pointed out in an earlier email that outfits like Amazon are bound to gobble up the small brick and mortar stores. However, I think this is only the current phase of the Internet revolution.
The next phase may very well see lots more decentralization than we had before the net. If Coop book stores around the country were tied together with an Amazon like interface, it would be just as powerful as Amazon as a purchase point, and also make a local presence possible.
With E-democracy, we are seeing the internet change the Town Meeting, but we have only begun to see it change the Town Market. Free software is coming, and the proprietary marketeers are very worried about its effects.
At 03:36 PM 4/28/2005, you wrote:
The area does need (and can support) another general bookstore, but let's build it from the ground up - and keep in mind that books aren't about turning a profit. I would like to see a co-op based bookstore sprout up.
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