Death of the mom and pop bookstore

Here's an article about the dying off of independently owned bookstores.

yahoo.com: Competition is killing independent U.S. bookstores

The Internet has certainly played a role in the decline of the bookstore, but chain stores such as Borders, Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart have also taken away business from d.i.y. booksellers.

I think the importance of mom and pop businesses can be summed up by Kate Bearce, a bookstore owner in Iowa.

"Customer service is not the same. When somebody walks in [my] store I know them, their kids, their parents, their grandparents. I put books in their hands. That's what my customers really like," she said.

"I have many customers that tell me, 'If I send my kids to you, I know you will provide them with appropriate titles,"' said Bearce, adding that that kind of service cannot be duplicated at the bigger bookstores and discount outlets.

Amen.