College is, ideally, a place where ideas should be exchanged through both academic books and conversation.
In a college town, a local bookstore can be a meeting place and a place to learn about topics ranging from local issues to critical theory. The local bookstore should be a staple of a college town.
Sadly, judging from the last few years, it would seem that Chapel Hill is losing its local bookshops.
Bull’s Head Bookshop was sold to a larger company, The Internationalist shut down its storefront and over Winter Break, news broke that The Bookshop on Franklin will close. One of the most academic towns in the U.S. is turning its back on its bookstores.
Independent bookstores are responsive to local interests and literary trends. They often host events fostering literacy and fraternity in the local community. They are special, as they do not follow the standard template of a larger book chain.
Chapel Hill is a wonderful town, and it deserves wonderful bookstores.
This connection to Chapel Hill ensures that local authors have a place to promote their work. It also means that we don’t just end up with stacks of the hottest pop-fiction novel, but also with works that may not be as profitable but are still important.
This is not to say that there are no independent bookstores in Chapel Hill — we love Flyleaf, but it is not exactly close to campus.
We need independent bookstores that are easily accessible to students. We need a bookstore that can cater its offerings to this unique community we all live in.
