LitMinds Blog and Interviews

Larry Portzline was one of the early influencers that shaped our thinking on LitMinds.  On a long car drive between Texas and California a year ago, we were discussing the declining number of independent bookstores and we decided we needed to learn more. Praveen pulled out his Treo phone, started surfing the internet and immediately stumbled onto Larry’s blog.

We were interested in his effort to create a grassroots movement in support of independent bookstores.  His idea built on several trends: robust growth in the travel industry (particularly cultural tourism), a vanishing landscape of unique independent bookstores, and a general desire of people to get the "behind the scenes" story of those places we frequent without perhaps really knowing them all that well.

Thanks to Larry for taking time for this interview and telling us more about how he stumbled upon the idea of bookstore tourism and the great adventure he’s been on since.

1.  In 2003, you launched Bookstore Tourism and started organizing "bookstore road trips" across the country.  How did you come up with this idea?  What was the inspiration for such a project?  Share with us a bit about the first few events during the early days of Bookstore Tourism.

This just goes to show that good ideas can grow out of the most ordinary circumstances.   A colleague at a local college where I teach had told me about the day-long "backdoor restaurant tours" he does for the school, in which he takes a busload of people to Manhattan and goes from one restaurant to another, talking to the chefs in the kitchen and sampling the food.  I thought it sounded like a fantastic way to spend a day, and just in passing, I suggested that a "bookstore tour" in Greenwich Village would be nice, too.  Well, he thought it was such a great idea that he ended up talking me into organizing an event.  We were really surprised by how quickly it sold out when the first trip was announced several months later, so the college added a couple more trips, and those sold out quickly as well.   

I recognized early on that booklovers all around the country could do bus trips like this as a way to support independent bookstores, many of which are really struggling these days because of the competition with "big box" stores and the Internet.  So I launched a website and wrote a how-to book to spread the word and encourage other people to organize "bookstore road trips" of their own.  Since then it's really become a grassroots movement with pockets of activity all over the U.S.

2.  Since starting Bookstore Tourism four years ago, you have seen interest in this form of independent bookstore "cultural tourism" spread across the country.  For instance, you have worked with the Southern California Booksellers Association and the state tourism department of Iowa.  What have been some of the more interesting and unexpected experiences you have encountered along the way?

I'm still surprised by people's reaction when they hear about it for the first time.  They practically jump out of their shoes and say, "Where can I sign up?!"  Even now, after several years of doing this, I still get a kick out of the excitement the idea generates among booklovers.  Also, it just blows my mind that the regional booksellers associations, the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association, and all of these other incredibly influential people in the book business see Bookstore Tourism as a neat way to bring booklovers together.  In fact I had an opportunity a couple of years ago to be the kickoff speaker at a library convention in Charleston, SC, and spoke to over 1,000 people.  That's something I never saw myself doing, so it was a little scary and thrilling at the same time.  I'm not an industry insider, yet book people from all corners have welcomed me and have been very encouraging.  They want the idea to succeed and have been incredibly helpful.  It's been humbling to say the least.

3. Visiting independent booksellers is the main focus of your program.  How have bookstores responded to Bookstore Tourism?  Can you talk about a specific visit or two to a bookstore that stands out in your mind?

Bookstores love the idea, of course -- not just because they like to see a crowd of customers in their store but because there's a real sense of community and camaraderie among bibliophiles.  Plus, booksellers aren't just retailers when a busload of booklovers walks in, they're the stars of the show!  They enjoy playing host, talking to our participants, making book recommendations, etc.  I think it's as much fun for them as it is for us.

I once led a trip of about 50 people to the Brandywine region of southeastern Pennsylvania where we visited two bookstores: Baldwin's Book Barn and Chester County Books & Music, both in the little college town of West Chester.  Baldwin's is literally a barn dating back to the Civil War, with three floors loaded to the rafters with used books.  Our group spent $1,800 there, and this was with a 50%-off sale.  And then we went across town to Chester County Books and spent another $1,800.  So that's the kind of economic impact Bookstore Tourism has, which is just one of the reasons booksellers are happy to see us.  Also, at Chester County Books, the bestselling author Lisa Scottoline ("Daddy's Girl," "Dirty Blonde") spoke to our group during lunch and signed books afterward, and it was so much fun.  After that we drove a short distance up the road to tour the Pearl S. Buck House.  So, you can see how these events appeal to readers and booksellers alike.  They promote a love of the written word and support local, independent business in a big way.

4. What are the future plans for Bookstore Tourism?  You are currently forming the National Council on Bookstore Tourism.  How will this impact the work you are doing and the direction of the organization?

I really want people to see how Bookstore Tourism fits into the larger trend of cultural tourism, which is bigger than ever, not just in the U.S. but worldwide.  Communities large and small are now employing cultural tourism as an economic engine and exploring how local culture and commerce can partner and attract visitors.  What this has done for a lot of communities is revitalize their downtowns, attract new residents, build their tax base, restore local pride, and just as important, give them a chance to show off their cultural and heritage features to the rest of the world.   

Independent bookstores should -- in fact, MUST -- play a major role in this movement.  As repositories of literature, as "third places" and as guardians of free speech, indie bookstores have a responsibility not just to themselves but to the community at large to preserve these assets that set them apart from other retailers.  And consumers certainly must do their part by supporting them.  One easy way to raise awareness of indie bookshops is by organizing bookstore road trips.  Whether you take book junkies to another city or promote your own community as a bookstore destination -- you remind consumers that they have a choice aside from the chain store on the edge of town.  You remind them that indie bookshops are likely to have books they wouldn't find anywhere else.  You remind them that more of their dollars stay in the community when they "shop local."  And you remind them that if indie bookstores eventually fade away, consumers will lose a lot more than a local merchant -- they'll lose an important part of their local identity. 

So, the overall goal of the National Council on Bookstore Tourism is to support indie bookstores by promoting them as a group travel destination.  And we'll accomplish this by partnering with the book industry, libraries, the travel industry, arts agencies, economic development groups, schools and colleges, and many other folks at the national, state and local levels to make it happen.

5. You are also a college instructor in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  How does your work at a college inform your work in bookstore tours?  How might you encourage a passion for reading and lifelong learning with students?  For instance, have you ever organized bookstore tours that are geared towards children or young adults?

I haven't personally offered a bookstore tour for kids, but the Southern California Booksellers Association did one in Los Angeles last year.  I anticipate that they'll do it again at some point.  Hopefully, some of the other regional booksellers associations will as well.  And I think a trip especially geared to young adults would be awesome.  The variety of bookstore tours you could offer are endless when you consider all of the different groups and organizations that can do it, the types of bookstores you can visit, as well as the author homes and other literary attractions.

As for my work as an instructor, I think it's absolutely crucial to instill a passion for reading and learning in kids.  It really is the key to success.  And I think it isn't too late for a lot of adults who may have dropped the habit along the way.  I believe that exposing people to the pleasures of visiting an independent bookstore, with all of its charm and quirks and uniqueness, should be part of this lifelong pursuit of learning.  I feel the same about libraries, too.  Indie bookstores and public libraries both need our patronage and our protection more than ever.

6. What are your personal reading interests?  As an avid reader and supporter of independent booksellers, what do you like about the LitMinds community?

Lately I've been reading a lot about consumer issues and how the economy is becoming so dependent on the creative class.  I never thought I'd be reading these topics, but surprisingly a lot of it relates back to my work with Bookstore Tourism.  For pleasure, I like to read non-fiction titles about popular culture, film, theatre, vaudeville and the early days of TV (some of this has actually turned into research for a pair of novels I'm writing).  On the fiction side I'm a great fan of Dickens, Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and I love short stories.  

What I love about the LitMinds community is that it's a very casual online hangout where you can weigh in on various topics, find out what people are reading, have friendly discussions with strangers, share information and recommendations, etc.  Plus, one of my favorite features of the site is seeing which bookstores are people's favorites.  I've seen numerous bookstores listed that I've never heard of and then Googled them to find out more.  Pretty cool!  In fact, maybe you guys can start profiling some indie bookstores occasionally as well.  (Editor's note: very good idea! we've profiled a few bookstore employees and with the launch of bookstore pages soon, we can definitely do more!)

7. How can people get involved with Bookstore Tourism in general or with the National Council on Bookstore Tourism (NCBT) in particular?

The NCBT doesn't have non-profit status yet, but once it does there will likely be memberships at different levels, corporate sponsorship, and a variety of services and products like trip consultations, a newsletter, tip sheets for planning literary excursions, etc. 

As for getting involved now, the best way is to organize a bookstore road trip of your own.  There are a lot of ways to do this, but here are the basic steps:

1. Research the town and bookstores you want to visit (you may also want to consider visiting libraries, author homes or other literary attractions);
2. Charter a bus (if your group is much smaller, you can simply arrange for people to drive);
3. Promote the trip to your group or organization (and collect money if necessary);
4. Let the booksellers know you're coming (and that they don't have to do anything special to accommodate you); and
5. Enjoy your day browsing great indie bookstores!

You can find Larry's LitMinds profile here.   Also, you might enjoy reading a couple of our blog entries describing bookstore tours LitMinded folks have ventured on this past year: a tour of San Francisco's independents, a tour of Montreal's unique stops, a tour of Paris English language bookstores, a stopover at the Houston airport, and a unique find in Playa del Carmen. Also, please let Larry and/or us know if you are engaging in acts of bookstore tourism -- we are interested in hearing about your adventures too!