John Ulan

Independent Survivor | Steve Budnarchuk of Audreys proved there’s room for smaller guys.

Last month, Winnipeg-based independent retailer McNally Robinson  — lauded as the 2009 Canadian Bookseller of the Year by the Canadian Booksellers Association — went into bankruptcy protection.

The news that a rare success story in the independent book world would go bankrupt would seem to indicate dire times for indie booksellers, but Edmonton’s two premiere independents — Audreys downtown and Greenwoods’ Bookshoppe in Old Strathcona — are chugging along in the face of deep-pocketed competition and a radically changing industry.

Despite going up against the Chapters-Indigo-Coles behemoth, the proliferation of retailers that sell books as a sideline, and online giants like Amazon, Edmonton’s two major independents have carved out successful niches for themselves amongst Edmonton’s book aficionados.

Steve Budnarchuk and his wife Sharon have owned downtown institution Audreys since 1988; Audreys itself dates to 1975, with its lineage going all the way back to Canadian publishing legend Mel Hurtig in the 1950s.

When the Budnarchuks entered the book market, it was the “heyday” of independent booksellers, with a booming economy and no Chapters in sight, Steve Budnarchuk says.

And then the big boys came to town.

“They carpet bombed us, basically,” Budnarchuk says of the Chapters approach to book retailing. “They really hit us hard. In fact, it’s a miracle there are any independents left in Alberta.” 

Chapters has come to dominate the Canadian bookselling industry. Nationally, it has no competitor.

Chapters was created in 1994 with the merger of Coles and SmithBooks. The company introduced big box book retailing to Canada, but faced competition of its own with the opening of another big box retailer, Indigo, in 1996. In 2000, Indigo swallowed the larger Chapters , creating the current bookselling giant. With vast selection and deeply discounted bestsellers, independent booksellers across the country fell like leaves in autumn as Chapters spread across the country.

But Audreys and Greenwoods survived the onslaught by sticking to what they do best — listening and responding to customers, and proudly maintaining their eclectic selection  in an increasingly homogenized retail landscape.

At Audreys, staff help to make purchasing choices based on their own knowledge, and input from customers.

“We’ve felt for a long time that is far superior for us to have everyone involved,” Budnarchuk says. “They’re talking to our customers all the time, and they are closest to the changes and trends in our industry. That’s something a chain store can’t do.”

Laurie Greenwood, whose much loved store (now owned by her siblings Gail and Brad) celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, relied on the shared passion for books between herself, her staff, and the book buying public to make purchases that reflected what Edmontonians want to read.

 “We’re not just bestsellers and tables of remainders all year long,” Greenwood says. She is certainly Edmonton’s best-known book reviewer thanks to years as a reviewer on radio and TV.

Greenwoods’ staff, some of whom have 15 years experience at the store, “know books and they love books and they read books, and so people come in and ask questions and get good answers.”

The ability to make independent decisions is an advantage that, for the most part, Chapters cannot match.

 “When you’re a chain ... you’re buying nationally,” Greenwood says. “The Chapters in St. John’s Nfld. is probably piled up with Sarah Palin (Going Rogue, the memoir of the former Republican VP candidate). I wonder how that’s going for them?”

Both Greenwood and Budnarchuk say a passion for books and a respect of authors is key to the success of the independent store.

Greenwoods’ celebrated its 30th anniversary last year with book signings by the likes of Anne Murray, Gen. Rick Hillier and former hockey star Theo Fleury, which draw hundreds of fans and sold hundreds of books.

“As book sellers and book lovers, we love having authors in and hosting author events,” Greenwood says. The big chains “don’t have that same sort of passion for reading and authors that independent booksellers do.”

Oddly, megaselling books like The DaVinci Code and the Harry Potter books aren’t that big a deal to independents.

“We’re still interested in the books, but a small portion of the market has been commodified,” says Budnarchuk, referring to multi-million copy sellers like the latest Dan Brown book.

While the public may think Chapters has lower prices than independents, Greenwood says with the exception of bestsellers and remainders, prices are the same. Prices in the book industry are determined by the publisher, so a $35.99 book will cost the same at Chapters as it would at Greenwoods or Audreys.

Independent booksellers today face competition from multiple sources.

Dozens of other companies — from giants like Wal-Mart and Costco to drug store chains — sell a very small range of books, at deep discounts, while Amazon sells millions of books online.

Indeed, stores like Audreys and Greenwood’s are beset from all sides, but that’s nothing new, says Budnarchuk.

 “The constant in retail is change,” he says, “and bookselling is maybe changing more than anything.”
The next big challenge facing indie bookstores is the e-book reader like the Kindle, that allows readers to download books onto a  portable, wireless tablet. There could be millions of these things on the market shortly — or it may not fly at all.

“It’s hard to tell if tens of millions of consumers will want a dedicated gadget that costs over three hundred bucks to read a book on,” Budnarchuk says.

Even if e-books catch on in a big way, there are still many types of books that an e-book can’t duplicate.
“The book is an artform in so many ways that it requires a that tangibility, that you can take it off your bookshelf and hold it.”

Budnarchuk recalls going to a convention about a decade ago, and hearing about the demise of the book. It hasn’t happened yet. And Budnarchuk sees reason for optimism.

“The recent generation of university students is still very much into reading books and buying books. And kids read a lot of books.”

Greenwood, too, has been hearing of the demise of books for years.

“They said books on tape would be the end of books; they said when Coles opened a chi-chi little bookstore downtown, that would put us out of business; the e-book was going to be the end of the book ... I don’t believe any of it.

“Books are going to be here for the long run.”

Greenwood is optimistic about the future of indie booksellers. She sees signs that Chapters is become less and less of a bookstore, with a lot of floor space taken up with home trinkets like candles, which “offends” Greenwood as a bookseller. The more Chapters changes, Greenwood feels, the bigger the opportunity for independents. “I think we’ve become more of a specialty store — the true independent that doesn’t carry the trinkets and soap and what not — and is selective. I think this is happening not only in this industry, but in any industry that is being ‘chained’.

“As the world gets bigger, sometimes the smaller things can thrive even more.”

Both stores are part of the ‘Keep Edmonton Original’ movement in support of local merchants. Budnarchuk sees independent booksellers as a bit of a throwback to the days when you could walk into a hardware store and find the tiniest widget from a knowledgeable staff member. Sadly, those days are gone, and we’re all the poorer for it.

The demise of McNally and Robinson provides a sobering lesson for any business, particularly and independent going up against a giant. McNally and Robinson expanded into Toronto with a major outlet in suburban Toronto and another in Winnipeg. It was that expansion, from independent to would-be chain, that brought the company down. It’s a mistake neither Greenwoods or Audreys is likely to make.

 “Be what you are, and be the best at what you are,” says Greenwood. “Don’t try and compete against who you are not.”