© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Your Call

Independent Bookstore Owners Discuss How They Survived COVID

Independent Bookstore Day
IndieBound
Independent Bookstore Day

On this edition of Your Call, we’re speaking with independent bookstore owners about how they managed to survive the pandemic. More than 70 bookstores in the US permanently closed last year and sales fell by nearly 30 percent.

Long before COVID, many struggled to stay afloat due to crushing competition from Amazon. In order to survive, bookstores had to rely on online sales and virtual events. What does your bookstore add to your community? And how will they survive in the years to come?

Guests:

Christin Evans, proprietor of Booksmith in San Francisco

Eric Whittington, proprietor of Bird & Beckett Books & Records in San Francisco

Rose Aguilar has been the host of Your Call since 2006. She became a regular media roundtable guest in 2001. In 2019, the San Francisco Press Club named Your Call the best public affairs program. In 2017, The Nation named it the most valuable local radio show.