http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com An independent community bookstore specializing in literature & politics. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:01:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-59 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:29:35 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-59 I just moved back to the area and am sorely disappointed to learn that VB went out of business. I refuse to give Borders or Amazon a dime. Your departure leaves very few options for independent book buying in the area. You will be missed. I just moved back to the area and am sorely disappointed to learn that VB went out of business. I refuse to give Borders or Amazon a dime. Your departure leaves very few options for independent book buying in the area. You will be missed.

]]> http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-58 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:53:19 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-58 Thanks for all your years of service guys sad to see you go! Thanks for all your years of service guys sad to see you go!

]]> http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/21/30-off-everything/#comment-57 Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:59:38 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/21/30-off-everything/#comment-57 Dropped by twice today, the second time with my daughter Joy in tow. I hope she remembers Vertigo even though she's just 22 months old. I certainly will, since it's tracked my trajectory from intern in the Dupont Circle area to 40-year-old family guy in College Park. Thanks for all the great books, and all the warm memories. Sorry I never got to know your names, including those of the two nice young people employed there for the past year or so. Best of luck to all of you, and thanks again. Take care, Deron (and Beth and Joy) Dropped by twice today, the second time with my daughter Joy in tow. I hope she remembers Vertigo even though she’s just 22 months old. I certainly will, since it’s tracked my trajectory from intern in the Dupont Circle area to 40-year-old family guy in College Park. Thanks for all the great books, and all the warm memories. Sorry I never got to know your names, including those of the two nice young people employed there for the past year or so. Best of luck to all of you, and thanks again. Take care, Deron (and Beth and Joy)

]]> http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-56 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:20:53 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-56 Actually, Tom N., you did not have to pay full price at Vertigo. Over 1/3 of our books were significantly discounted. Newer titles were regularly 20% off, we had a free frequent buyer card and sold lots of sale books. A sale title, originally $25 in hardcover, might be $6.99. You can read a bit more here http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2008/11/23/my-name-is-bridget-and-i-am-book-geek/ Actually, Tom N., you did not have to pay full price at Vertigo. Over 1/3 of our books were significantly discounted. Newer titles were regularly 20% off, we had a free frequent buyer card and sold lots of sale books. A sale title, originally $25 in hardcover, might be $6.99. You can read a bit more here http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2008/11/23/my-name-is-bridget-and-i-am-book-geek/

]]> http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-54 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:01:23 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-54 I've never been to this bookstore, but I shop many bookstores, new and used and am sorry this one has to close because of inadequate sales. I buy a lot of books, many of them used, and understand what the independents are up against with the bigger stores. But, if you buy a lot of books, it doesn't make sense to pay full price for them when they are often avaliable elsewhere with nice discounts. I’ve never been to this bookstore, but I shop many bookstores, new and used and am sorry this one has to close because of inadequate sales. I buy a lot of books, many of them used, and understand what the independents are up against with the bigger stores. But, if you buy a lot of books, it doesn’t make sense to pay full price for them when they are often avaliable elsewhere with nice discounts.

]]> http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-53 Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:23:03 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-53 I am fortunate enough to live in four communities in three different countries that value their independent bookstores (and other shops). My community in the United Kingdom is particularly successful in maintaining this character. But even here it is eroding at the edges. On this blog and in my communities I hear many people feeling sad about local shops going under. What no one is confronting is that most people do not value independent shops. They value cheapness and convenience. They do not value their community (too often I see -exclusively in America- that people do not even know their neighbours). This is to say the problem is epidemic - far beyond simply shopping locally. Because few people are facing up to this simple fact, no one is asking the simple direct question: what do we do when our society is beginning to fall apart because people do not want these social institutions? What happens when some of us realise that we are very much outnumbered? I am fortunate enough to live in four communities in three different countries that value their independent bookstores (and other shops). My community in the United Kingdom is particularly successful in maintaining this character. But even here it is eroding at the edges. On this blog and in my communities I hear many people feeling sad about local shops going under. What no one is confronting is that most people do not value independent shops. They value cheapness and convenience. They do not value their community (too often I see -exclusively in America- that people do not even know their neighbours). This is to say the problem is epidemic - far beyond simply shopping locally. Because few people are facing up to this simple fact, no one is asking the simple direct question: what do we do when our society is beginning to fall apart because people do not want these social institutions? What happens when some of us realise that we are very much outnumbered?

]]> http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-51 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 11:05:53 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-51 Sidney Poitier, Zadie Smith, David Wisniewski, Mattie Stepanek, Gwen Ifill...these are just a handful of authors I met at Vertigo Books. I will miss not only having an excellent independent bookstore in my neighborhood, but also having local booksellers who actually knew books. Many thanks to you, Bridget and Todd. I'm sad that my 2-year-old daughter won't have Vertigo around as she continues to grow. Sidney Poitier, Zadie Smith, David Wisniewski, Mattie Stepanek, Gwen Ifill…these are just a handful of authors I met at Vertigo Books. I will miss not only having an excellent independent bookstore in my neighborhood, but also having local booksellers who actually knew books. Many thanks to you, Bridget and Todd. I’m sad that my 2-year-old daughter won’t have Vertigo around as she continues to grow.

]]> http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/17/news-of-our-demise/#comment-50 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:35:26 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/17/news-of-our-demise/#comment-50 I feel your pain as my own store hangs on by a thread. Best to everyone at Vertigo. I feel your pain as my own store hangs on by a thread. Best to everyone at Vertigo.

]]> http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-49 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:12:54 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-49 Thank you for the years of service. You will be deeply, deeply missed. Thank you for the years of service. You will be deeply, deeply missed.

]]> http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-48 Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:07:28 +0100 http://vertigobooks.blogsome.com/2009/04/10/goodbye-we-are-closing/#comment-48 I'm so sorry to hear this. My husband and I (who also recently shut down our own indie [candy] store in Baltimore - seriously, everyone: SHOP LOCAL so this won't keep happening!) went on some of our first dates in your store. And you were one of our first stops after we found out we were having a baby - we drove over to you from DC because you guys had such an awesome selection of kids' books and parenting books for a couple of soon-to-be anarchist unschooling parents. That day is one of my fondest memories, and your store was one of the best things about living in DC. I hope you all land on your feet and find much joy and success in your future endeavors. This is such a sad loss. :/ I’m so sorry to hear this. My husband and I (who also recently shut down our own indie [candy] store in Baltimore - seriously, everyone: SHOP LOCAL so this won’t keep happening!) went on some of our first dates in your store. And you were one of our first stops after we found out we were having a baby - we drove over to you from DC because you guys had such an awesome selection of kids’ books and parenting books for a couple of soon-to-be anarchist unschooling parents. That day is one of my fondest memories, and your store was one of the best things about living in DC. I hope you all land on your feet and find much joy and success in your future endeavors. This is such a sad loss. :/

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