AFTER SIXTEEN YEARS, TRAVELLER’S BOOKSTORE ANNOUNCES IT WILL CLOSE ITS DOORS

The Traveller’s Bookstore, established in August 1982, is saddened to announce that it will close its doors next month. The difficult decision is attributed to the enormous changes taking place within the book industry, as well as in the New York City retailing environment. "With chain superstores blanketing Manhattan and online superstores discounting heavily on the web, there seems to be little room for small independent bookstores anymore" says owner Diana Wells. Taking a broad approach to travel, the store offers both popular and hard-to-find travel guides, travel literature and maps, along with international fiction, mysteries and other types of background reading travellers might enjoy. Known for its well-travelled and well-read staff and an emphasis on customer service, Traveller’s Bookstore also offers its customers a mail order catalogue, newsletters and even a website, launched last spring. Despite the customer-oriented service and comprehensive selection, sales started slipping in the last couple of years due to competition from superstores and, more recently, from online book vendors. A sale of the store’s inventory will begin Monday, January 18th. "Independent booksellers are under siege across the country. Discriminatory publisher practices, coercive influence by online and chain stores regarding discount and other terms, and the general consumer trend toward shopping for discount over quality and service is making it harder and harder for independent stores to remain in business. As the book industry continues to consolidate into ever larger bottom-line driven conglomerates, these trends will have enormous ramifications for consumers in terms of the continuing availability of a wide range of books" said Wells. "Considering how many independent bookstores have closed in Manhattan alone in the last five years, it saddens me to think how few may be left when the dust finally settles."