Why Valley Books is closing

The long and the short of it is declining in-store sales, which began with the rise of book buying on the internet in the early 2000s. It continued to steadily decline right up to the present time. We began selling on the internet in 1998, when the online bookselling sites began. They have grown into huge megasites with offerings over 100 million listings. Online sales have been carrying the shop for at least the past 5 years. Our move from 199 No. Pleasant St. to our present location was made in the midst of declining foot traffic and continually decreasing in-store sales. A substantial reduction in rent and the chance to have all our stock on one floor weighed heavily in the decision to move. While the new location did offer special challenges, we did have a window display on the street and two visible signs facing the sidewalk and the road. Winter conditions around the shop were a deterrent to business on many days and apparently convenient parking was not always so easy to come by. A 4 day flood in early 2008 left the store in a weakened state and the moldy, musty aftermath took months to fully dissipate, affecting many customers and staff adversely. 

Other important factors in declining sales include the decreasing reliance on books as a source of information, being replaced by information available on the internet. Electronic reading devices have been around for 10 years and the latest generation of kindle and other readers have drawn traditional book buyers away from bookshops. Library usage is up nationally by 10-30% and the year-long economic crisis has intensified and accelerated many of the trends already affecting the traditional book trade. 

Simply put, a shop like Valley Books, that has existed for 34 years, is no longer viable and the economic strain to stay open became too much to bear. We will continue to sell books on the internet and will continue to special order new and used books. And, we will continue to buy books from individuals.