Ohio's Fine Print Ends Run

Fine Print Books, the only full-service general independent bookstore in Xenia, Ohio (near Dayton), closed its doors on January 31. Owner Alan Liming, who opened the store in 1976, cited competition from both bricks-and-mortar stores and online retailers as a major factor in his decision to shut Fine Print Books, a 2,400-sq.-ft. store with an inventory of 15,000 titles.

Liming told PW that sales at his store have steadily dwindled in recent years. "Every year, there was another trickle down in sales. It's been happening for a while, especially in the past five years. Then my lease was up and they wanted more money. It seemed a good time to hang it up," he said.

"People don't think of going to a bookstore to buy a book anymore," Liming said. "They can buy books at chain bookstores, grocery stores, gas stations, on the Internet ... it got to be too much."

The phenomenal growth in the sale of used books on the Internet is devastating to bookstores like Fine Print, Liming said. "It's not just Amazon.com anymore—grandma and grandpa are selling used books on eBay. I just can't compete with that. People are practically giving away books, anyone can buy books so cheaply on the Net."

"I'm leaving and I'm not bitter," he said. "I'm not leaving anyone holding the bag. I like to think I did a good job, and I didn't screw up. I'm walking away clean.... I didn't become rich in terms of making money, but I became rich in so many other ways. One thing I'll miss is the people—the customers, my employees, the writers, the reps. I really enjoyed my life as a bookseller. But this is a good time for me and a good time for my store to move on."