Niche Bookstores

Stephen Games’ article denouncing book superstores (Commentary, Oct. 16) expresses a jaundiced view of economic progress that has been heard for 200 years: As the big drive out the small, the marketplace is reduced to uniformity. Just the opposite! Although the megastores hurt the “small generalists,” they favor the development of what Games dismissingly calls “niche marketers.” Added all together, these small enterprises, some of which will become the giant corporations of tomorrow, give our society a choice of goods and services thousands of times greater than when “small generalists” abounded.

Our niche store gives customers the same level of personal service as the traditional corner bookshop while covering our field of speculative literature to a greater depth than any superstore. Instead of lamenting the proliferation of specialized retailers, Games should be celebrating the additional choices they provide the consumer.

MONIQUE and ERIC GANS

Flights of Fantasy Books

Santa Monica