Booksellers Hope for Positive Jolt From Obama Win

In the wake of Tuesday's elections, there was consensus among several indie booksellers who spoke to BTW that daily newspaper sales were through the roof, Dems were deliriously happy, and we all have no easy road ahead of us.

Jack Cella of Chicago's 57th Street Books/Seminary Co-op, where President-elect Barack Obama and his family are customers and members, said that he, store staff, and their entire community were beyond excited. "People are just so pleased. We all feel great for our community, for the south side of Chicago, for the country and the world." Cella said that the whole Obama family, who live about seven blocks away, often shop at 57th Street Books.

The bookstore, which hosted Obama events for both Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope, saw a steady stream of customers the day after the election, many of them buying every copy they could find of the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and "even the Investor's Business Daily." Neighbors were looking to congregate and celebrate in a place where they sometimes saw the Obamas buying their books. His win "means so much to so many different communities that we're at the center of," said Cella, describing the neighborhood as "one of, if not the most, vibrant African-American communities in the country."

Cella said there are plans underway to celebrate Obama's election, as well as the 25th anniversary of 57th Street Books.

Mark LaFramboise of Politics and Prose Bookstore & Coffeehouse reported that in Washington, D.C., "people are ecstatic and tired and everyone stayed up too late. D.C. went crazy -- partying on 14th Street, drumming and dancing, partying on top of bus stops, and in front of the White House." In the store, he added, "there's lots of good cheer and lots of fist bumps."

Sales were primarily of stacks and stacks of newspapers. "Everyone wants a piece of history," said LaFramboise, along with "cool Obama sidelines." Among the hits were plasticized bookbags made from old newspapers, including a bag of the Washington Post issue that announced Obama's Democratic nomination.

Guessing how a new political landscape might affect business going forward, LaFramboise considered that it would offer a welcome "positive jolt" during a time of nearly constant negative news. "We just welcome the optimism this affords. It's a new day. I don't want to jinx it, but there are a lot more smiles, and that can only be good."

In Sen. John McCain's home state, the atmosphere was more mixed. At Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona, co-owner Bob Sommer said, "We have customers of all stripes, so we're never quite sure whose toes we're stepping on if we're cheering at the door. Wearing 'Yes We Can' buttons is not appropriate." Obama has been to Changing Hands twice, although not during this past presidential campaign.

Trying to get a bead on the mood at the store, Sommers described it as guardedly optimistic. "These are very difficult economic times for booksellers and retailers, and we're no exception. It's scary, but I feel like there's hope in the air."

Book Soup in West Hollywood, California, was very quiet on Wednesday, aside from selling out of newspapers, said owner Glenn Goldman. He thought an Obama presidency would be "very positive for bookselling in general in the same sense that Bill Clinton's presidency was very positive for bookselling," but he noted that the president-elect has "an almost unprecedented array of problems to confront."

In Atlanta, Philip Rafshoon reported that customers were "in a shopping mood" at Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse and want no end of Obama books and buttons. Outwrite will be holding a party to celebrate both the Obama win and the bookstore's 15th anniversary on November 15. "People were absolutely thrilled and desperately searching for copies of the New York Times," said Rafshoon. "They're in very good spirits and very optimistic. They're also glad it's over." --Karen Schechner