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| Shakespeare & Co., Rittenhouse Square | |
In Philadelphia, "and many other markets across America, independent booksellers are defying conventional wisdom and staging a comeback," WHYY reported, citing the addition of Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books in Germantown, Shakespeare & Co. in Rittenhouse Square, and A Novel Idea in South Philadelphia. There are 18 American Booksellers Association members in the city.
When Alexander Schneider and Christina Rosso-Schneider opened A Novel Idea in late 2018, they were busy from the start. "A lot of people come in and say, 'I'm so glad you are here. I've been waiting for a bookstore on the avenue. I've always wanted something like this here,' " Rosso-Schneider said. "Between our soft opening and our grand opening, it was absolutely insane. There were just people everywhere, and everyone was so gracious and welcoming. It was more than my wife and I could have ever asked for."
Isabel Ballester, the events coordinator for Uncle Bobbie's, added: "Right now, there is so much erasure of black consciousnesses and spaces where we can be our authentic selves, so it's more important that people who look like us are making time for these spaces to be cultivated. What makes us different and unique is that we are specifically catering to such a niche group of people that what we are doing isn't just about bookselling. We provide a whole experience, on so many different levels, that Amazon and e-books can't do."