Reading the Public

Lots of people have discovered a new hangout with comfy chairs, books, munchies and clean bathrooms. We’re not talking home, but the ‘90s version of library, coffeehouse and town square--all rolled up into one.

Mega bookstores aren’t just retail places. They have created an inviting milieu, part living room, part community center. And patrons seem to be flocking to them.

By offering attractive discounts, one-stop shopping, extended operating hours, eating and entertainment, big chains draw consumers looking for better deals. While the consumer is the winner in the short run, some smaller independent retailers see megastores as insatiable predators aiming to control the market.

Survival may not necessarily go to the fittest, but to those with the deepest pockets--and the chains have massive purchasing power.

And along with discounts, that purchasing might allows chains to return a hefty percentage of unsold, shelf-worn and coffee-stained books to publishers, a courtesy not extended to independents. And unlike other retail chains, which have an off-putting cookie-cutter uniformity, mega bookstores are often neighborly, inviting local authors, musicians and community groups.

Local libraries have been all but abandoned by early birds and night owls--the hours are too restrictive. Besides, they can’t chat it up above a whisper without irritating a nearby researcher. Bookstores make it easy to meet a friend over coffee or even discover a new pal. And that’s just for openers.

Those interested in exercising their mental muscles can attend weekly chess games at Borders Books in Thousand Oaks on Monday nights. Jazz lovers who hate bars can listen to music Thursday nights in the Cafe Espresso area.

There are harmonica lessons, a “Conversations With God” discussion group or enthusiasts reading great novels in Spanish. Of course, it’s all free, but leaving with your wallet intact is about as likely as passing up a popcorn vendor at the movies or hot dogs at Costco.

Which brings up the subject of children. At Borders there is a lot to entice families. On one recent afternoon, a father sat on carpeted steps reading to his son. Nearby, two mothers squeezed into tot-size chairs watching their preschoolers frolic. Meanwhile, on the barren stage of the cafe, a wannabe ballerina danced for her mother.

Downstairs in the music section, a teenager with headphones clamped over a buzz cut drifted in a CD haze. The only admonition in this section: Please don’t spend longer than 10 minutes at any one station. This is one of the few rules--another reason the place is so inviting, according to bookseller Bruce Cogley.

“This is basically a place to meet. In fact, when the store first opened, it was voted the outstanding place in Ventura County to meet people under 40. We’re not like a library--you can walk and talk and spill coffee. We might lose a little once in a while, but public relations more than offsets any loss,” Cogley said.

As community relations coordinator for Borders, Sue Zussman agrees the store is more than just a retailer--it’s a community hub.

“People are encouraged to get a cup of coffee from the cafe, take it into the book store or music store to read or listen, or bring a book off the shelf into the cafe--coffee or not,” she said. Events are free and attract all ages. All bookings filter through her office, including the occasional Toastmasters gathering and the monthly Ventura County Writers Club meetings.

“‘It seems to make sense to have the Ventura County writers group in a bookstore. And the price is right,” Zussman said with a laugh.

At the July meeting of the club, guest speaker Richard F.X. O’Connor offered his view of today’s publishing opportunities and pitfalls based on his perspective as acquisitions editor of renaissance books. Approximately 40 people in casual dress sat on folding chairs along the open center aisle, a few taking notes.

A adult book discussion group sat at a small table nearby in the children’s section, holding forth on “Dolly,” their chosen book-of-the-month selection on singer Dolly Parton. Isabelle Knittle joined the group about two years ago and found friends among strangers.

“It’s a place to meet new people, have an interchange of ideas and hear different points of view,” said Knittle, a Thousand Oaks resident.

Discussions can become spirited, so much so on this evening that laughter spilled over into the Writers Club meeting but toned down after the club president peered around the corner, brows furrowed in the manner of a disapproving parent. Still, everyone manages to coexist amicably.

A few bookshelves away, George Komrower, on the floor with his back propped against a shelf, scanned a book on foreign-language textbooks. He was there, as usual, to pursue his two main hobbies, mathematics and foreign language. His wife, Olga, was reading in a cushioned chair nearby, a jacket around her shoulders.

George, a retired court interpreter for Los Angeles County, spent five years translating for the criminal courts in Malibu, and now works only occasionally. He hails Borders’ arrival in Thousand Oaks as true progress.

“I was in Hawaii two weeks ago and was excited to see a Borders in Kona,” Komrower said. He thought it felt like home.

When asked where home is, his wife shot a quick answer: “He lives here.”

And it does seem like a home away from home for a lot of people. Jazz night brought out a quartet called Cauldron, scheduled to perform at 7:30 in the cafe. More than 50 listeners had gathered while the group tuned up and adjusted the sound system.

White-haired to long-haired, tank tops and sandals to skirts and sweaters, the crowd of kids, yuppies and seniors spread around the tables and couches drinking iced or hot coffee--a few visiting, waiting patiently for the music.

Some of the listeners show up regularly for Thursday jazz. Other music nights feature the classics, old-style blues and acoustics. Borders puts out a monthly newsletter listing music performances, kids’ happenings, book-signings, discussion groups and other events. Some are ongoing, others one of a kind.

Monthly newsletters are also the key to events at Barnes & Noble bookstores. While they lack the music store and performance features of Borders, they also invite people to browse, meet others and hang around. The Ventura store features a Starbucks kiosk where you can dip an almond biscotti into a decaf Columbian blend and sit at a table thumbing through Poets & Writers fresh off the nearby magazine rack.

Besides adult discussion groups, high school kids can join fellow students, while families might attend a Friday-night Pajamarama with story time geared for the whole family. At Borders it’s called Pajamamania and meets Saturday nights. Both are chain stores, with differences, obvious and subtle.

Borders has an open-mike night for poets; Barnes & Noble has one for writers. Then there’s the matter of size. If you think it doesn’t matter, tell that to the architects of the Barnes & Noble at the Promenade at Westlake, where an escalator carries customers to the second level.

Borders in Santa Barbara has three levels. Plus, Borders cafes have broader menus--you can satisfy real hunger pangs.

At Barnes & Nobles, orderliness reigns. Bookshelves are lined in neat rows, as in libraries. Casual meandering is more Borders’ style.

Considering all the attractions and creature comforts these megastores provide, you can’t help wonder how small independent bookstores survive. Cogley suggested that some may cross into the used-book market, a niche that doesn’t interest such stores as Borders. Others manage to maintain a loyal following with an emphasis on personalized service.

Surviving through two major downtown developments and the arrival of a Barnes & Noble across town, Kent Weigel, co-owner of the independent Ventura Bookstore, attributes customer loyalty to the fact that they are still operating.

“We have a customer database of 3,500 people who shop here regularly. We get to know them and when new books come out that we feel they may be interested in, we may give them a call,” Weigel said.

As for libraries, where else can you get takeout books free for the asking, locate out-of-print books or spend hours researching worldwide weather patterns for a term paper? Even Zussman, with working days devoted to Borders, says she frequents the library with her children.

“Besides, I hate to say it, but you can’t own all the books you read. And younger children just go through books great guns,” Zussman said.

So, if bookstores won’t be replacing libraries, what about the Internet replacing bookstores as the bookseller of the future? They seem to offer real deals, and you can even meet the author for a Web site chat.

“There are a lot of bibliophiles who need to come and touch and smell the books. And there’s more to getting a book than buying or receiving it,” Zussman said.

There’s also a whole lot more to being a bookseller than turning a hefty profit. “If we were in this industry for the money, we would have given up long ago,” Weigel said. “Our interest is in a love of books and the ideas that come forth.”

BE THERE

Borders Books, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks; (805) 497-8159. Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-midnight; Sunday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Barnes & Noble, 160 S. Westlake Blvd., Westlake; (805) 446-2820. Hours: 9 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.

4360 E. Main St., Ventura; (805) 339-9170. Hours: 9 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.

Ventura Bookstore, 522 E. Main St.; (805) 643-4069. Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.