These people like to see what they are buying and hold it and make sure it's exactly what they want. Yet as more customers flock to the internet, walk-in stores are converting into virtual stores. For a few hundred dollars per month, they can list their entire inventory online and realize equal profits with less headaches. I have only a small number of books listed online, but I sell some every week. But, for Smith, listing select titles online is a means of broadening his market, not the first step toward closing his doors.
People come here to gossip, to escape, to see friends.
I have regulars who come just to talk, mostly, like the old men used to on courthouse benches, or like women quilting together. They like the community feeling, and I do too. Choctaw Books is a place where you can still find stories, not just on the shelves but among the people. And then you read. The first three Eudora Welty books are expensive, but for a complete collection, you need them.