Papa’s Bookshelf has you covered
Wondering how independent bookstores are fairing these days? The news is positive according to Billy Reese, owner of Papa’s Bookshelf in the Lincoln City Outlets.
“We are in our second year and so far so good,” he said. “We are seeing strong growth. We are riding the wave of the resurgence of printed media.”
Books were the first to go digital. Television soon followed.
“These days you have to stream everything,” Reese said. “People have grown tired of all those subscriptions. Bookstores, if they are run intelligently, are thriving.”
The beauty of printed media, Reese said, is that it doesn’t disappear once viewed. Plus, a physical item makes a much better gift than a link.
Heading into the holiday shopping season, Reese is making sure people who have little ones on their lists are covered.
“We are going to be heavily focused on kid’s books,” he said. “’Berenstain Bears,’ ‘Peanuts,’ ‘The Night before Christmas’ or ‘The Nightmare before Christmas,’ those kinds of classic titles.”
It’s a bit harder to choose books for adults, but Papa’s Bookshelf has you covered.
“I’ve prepared dozens of gift certificates,” Reese said. “That’s an especially good option for those people who have local friends that are regulars here.”
Even on a dreary, dismal day, the cash register at Papa’s was “ringing,” to use an outdated term for brisk sales. A customer commented on the shop’s very extensive comic book section. And she was, very much, an adult.
“I get five-year-olds and 95-year-olds coming in looking for comics,” Reese said. “There is something about them that appeals to every demographic. And you aren’t going to find anything like our comic book selection on the Oregon Coast.”
And if you don’t find what you are looking for, ask.
“I can order almost anything in print, even rare items,” Reese said. “There is not a category of book that I can’t access.”
Papa’s Bookshelf is located in the Lincoln City Outlets, located at 1500 SE Devils Lake Road and open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, go to the Papa’s Bookshelf page on Facebook or call 541-557-2092.