Independent bookstores persevere through struggles

PHOTO: Avid Reader in Davis has a wide selection of books on display.

By Kristen Kay

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Elliot Reinhart, a Davis High alumni, and his wife moved to Woodland as a newly married couple who had plans to raise a family. They enjoyed visiting bookstores. However, they always had to travel to Avid Reader in Davis or Capitol Books in Sacramento.

After doing extensive research and attending seminars, they decided to open the Pleasant Pheasant. “We kind of took the plunge and started making a business plan and all that,” Reinhart said. 

They named the store The Pleasant Pheasant because they wished to pay homage to the beauty of the local farmland. 

“Farming is inextricably connected to our local economy and culture and we wanted it to be represented,” Reinhart said.

 Independent bookstores are vital parts of a town, and many bookstores have recently opened to benefit their communities. 

Ruby Gould’s motivation to open her bookstore in Folsom was sparked by her travels with her family to various small towns. She decided to name the store after her dog, Ruby, who often roams around inside the bookstore. 

Sabrina Nishijima, owner of the East Village Bookstore, had another path to realizing her dream of owning a bookstore. Nishijima never thought she could own a bookstore business until she saw an open lot across the street from her house in East Sacramento.

“I thought it would be a great spot for a little bookshop for my kids to walk to. I never really thought that I could do it, but one day it dawned on me that there’s nothing stopping me from trying to do it,” Nishijima said.

Her favorite part of owning a bookstore is hearing about the impact books have on her customers. One time, a man even jumped out of a moving truck to tell her how much a cookbook meant to him. 

“He jumped right back into his pick-up truck and drove off,” Nishijima said. 

Although bookstores are integral parts of a town, their owners grapple with financial challenges, especially when competing with large retailers, such as Amazon. 

“The system is set up to benefit bigger retailers,” Gould said.

“We are fighting very hard to keep our doors open and our community is rallying too (save the bookstore),” Emily Autenrieth said, the owner of the independent bookstore, A Seat at the Table, in Elk Grove.

However, since COVID, there has been a push to support local businesses, including bookstores. 

“I think we are going to see a shift in the next five years to more people choosing to shop local because they are beginning to realize what we lose as people and communities if we don’t show up regularly for our locally owned businesses, including bookstores,” Autenrieth said.

Autenrieth thinks that people have begun to realize the “harm that comes from giving our communities over to corporations.”

Nishijima does not think bookstores will ever go out of style. “No one would stand for it, no online seller can compete with the experience of walking into a cozy, charming bookstore.” 

At the Pleasant Pheasant, the influence of Reinhart is clear, with the book selection as you walk in is centered around science fiction, fantasy and cookbooks. 

The environment can also draw visitors. The scene at Avid Reader in Davis is lively, “It’s so fun to look through real, physical books and recommendations from the employees and learn more about local authors,” said Maev Dunning, a UC Davis student who visits Avid Reader in Downtown Davis often.

While Dunning supports the local bookstore because of its “sense of community (at Avid Reader),” sophomore Madeline Loge supports the bookstore because of its own “personal flair.”