Posted by J.L., a resident of the Ventura neighborhood, on Oct 16, 2006 at 10:56 pm

No doubt about it, many local independents are challenged. This is a multi-faceted problem - one that can only be dealt with by individual independent bookstores, one at a time. There is no universal solution.

Kepler's is essentially on life support, with consumers having to make a conscious decision to shop there, if they want the store to remain. Music shops like Tower records are having similar problems.

What most don't know is that when Amazon was starting up, and making a beginning impact, the American Booksellers Assn. has planned a comprehensive commerce environment that would have worked much like Amazon does, today. That idea died, for lack of interest and will. Whose fault is that.

In a way , small independents that are in trouble have brought many of their current problems on themselves, in spite a popular notions to the contrary.