Independent bookstores in the area have been increasing and diversifying their online presence to meet the challenges of the pandemic, writes Davis Giangiulio for Main Line Today.

For Reads & Company in nearby Phoenixville, which has been open for barely a year, Bookshop.org has been a “godsend,” said owner Jason Hafer. The site helps independents create their webpages.

For Hafer, this meant that he was able to accept preorders and sell both his regular inventory and special items, including signed books.

Reads & Company has also moved its gatherings online and is offering private shopping hours.

Some stores, however, have opted to make only minimal changes to their business. This includes Baldwin’s Book Barn in West Chester.

“We’re just too old-fashioned,” said store manager Carol Rauch. “We’re two 80-year-old people who run this place. We’re not into the new technology.”

During lockdown, customers would call the store and order a book. Then, Rauch would leave the purchases outside for pickup.

Sales, though, are now back where they were last year at this time.

“People are at home, and they’re bored,” said Rauch. “A good book doesn’t have commercials.”

Read more about local independent bookstores in Main Line Today here.