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Tuesday January 22, 2008

The [new] Bookstore in Coconut Grove has become quite the hangout, what with the coffee shop and free wi-fi. I always wonder whether this is economically sustainable — people sitting at a table on their laptop for two hours do not make the store much profit, even if they do buy a coffee. Getting customers in the store is key, of course, and it works well enough for Books and Books, so who knows? I sure hope it works out for them — I’d love to see independent bookstore/hangout-type spots everywhere.

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  1. CL Jahn    Tue Jan 22, 08:51 AM #  

    It doesn’t hurt the store; people follow a crowd. If there were no one around the store, no one would come into it. And while coffee doesn’t bring in a huge amount of cash, it is almost all profit.



  2. Daniel, Esq.    Tue Jan 22, 12:38 PM #  

    The store is okay, but man-‘o-man do they need a better selection.



  3. mapache    Tue Jan 22, 02:00 PM #  

    I have been there for coffee, It’s where the old Banana Republic store used to be, they still have the dressing rooms in the back. Honestly it is a great place to hang out although they lack in their book repertoire. I was looking for some books on architecture and they had only a handful. Their coffee shop on the other hand rocks, they make their own bread and empanadas, and the coffee sure beats going to starbucks.



  4. alesh    Tue Jan 22, 02:17 PM #  

    Whoa… it’s a bakery/coffee shop with a few books for sale?



  5. Crumbs    Tue Jan 22, 02:23 PM #  

    No- it’s a bookstore. It’s no amazon.com, but the place isn’t tiny. It homey and kind, which is what you need to be if you’re not a corporate giant.



  6. mapache    Tue Jan 22, 05:05 PM #  

    Crumbs is right alesh it is a Bookstore, with a bakery/coffee shop… and its good.



  7. Nyla    Sun Feb 10, 09:27 PM #  

    i’m in love with it…absolutely in love and i will cry if it ever goes out of business.



  8. Guv    Sun Feb 10, 10:11 PM #  

    Finally checked it out this weekend—fun to visit, but they didn’t have any of the books I would have been inclined to purchase!



  9. Corey    Mon Feb 18, 10:13 PM #  

    The store is a great alternative to Starbucks and their location, which seems like it was placed in an old alleyway. As good of a company as Starbucks is, it is just over commercialized. A sophisticated person who understands quality will lean towards the bookstore. As CL Jahn has said, and Cialdini writes, social proof is more important then a quick sale.