It’s particularly nice to know that, in a Valley known for its leftward leanings, there are businesses that employ progressive ideas not as mere ideals but as working methods. The Valley’s worker-owned, democratically run co-ops include Collective Copies, Pelham Auto, Ronin Tech Collective, Northampton’s often-seen bicycle stalwarts Pedal People, and more.
One of the best-known is Amherst’s not-for-profit Food for Thought Books, which specializes in “radical and progressive media.” The bookstore also hosts plenty of author appearances. It’s remarkable, in a bad economic climate and in a time when the fate of books and bookstores is less than clear, for any small bookstore to stay on the scene. Food for Thought, which has sustained itself since 1976, seemed to have achieved institution status, but even indie bookstores that have succeeded over the long haul are in danger these days.
In late October, Food for Thought sent a message to its fans and supporters asking for help in the form of donations, volunteer work and book purchases. The email laid out the central issue this way: “The truth is that our bookstore has, for quite some time, relied on the generous support of professors at the local universities and colleges who order textbooks for their classes here. Our textbook business made for a reliable economic cycle and we have been most grateful for it. & This past academic semester we saw a precipitous drop in textbook sales, much more than anyone anticipated, despite having been able to discern many of the contributing factors.”
Javiera Benavente, a program coordinator for Food for Thought, says, “Part of it is because of a federal law passed over the summer requiring professors to let students know what books they’re requiring. I think a lot of students shopped on Amazon and places where they got bigger discounts than they could get here. And now there are more options to rent books. We understand that students might not have as much of a budget for books as they used to.”
Regular book sales have also declined, says Benavente, but not in the same numbers as textbook sales. Food for Thought is well positioned in that regard, functioning as a reliable source for works of investigative reporting from a clearly progressive viewpoint. (Among the titles that have been popular through the years, you’ll find Howard Zinn’s People’s History, Rebecca Solnit’s Paradise Built in Hell, Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine and John Perkins’ Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.)
Relatively strong book sales haven’t so far been enough to keep things going. According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the “precipitous drop” in textbook demand resulted in debts in the neighborhood of $150,000 to $200,000.
How long can they continue under that kind of debt burden? “We haven’t quite determined that,” says Benavente. “We’re going to be selling textbooks for the spring semester, so we will be around at the new year for certain. We’re going to be looking at strategies for keeping our doors open for the long term.”
The co-op has quickly and impressively moved to find and put into action new strategies to remain in business. On Dec. 4, the store hosted a fundraiser called The Femme Show, an exploration of gender issues from queer perspectives. It brought in an audience of 90 and $1,000 in contributions. The store has sought volunteers to work a couple of shifts per month, and is looking for others interested in organizing arts-related events like film screenings, book groups, and book readings and signings.
Food for Thought’s success is important to the Valley for well rehearsed reasons like the health of the local economy and the world of books, and for a reason raised in the Dec. 7 Daily Hampshire Gazette editorial: “Bookstores—both new and used—are part of our region’s tourism trade.” Beyond that, the continued operation of such local collectives can validate that people-first economic ideals work well, even in tough times.
