Smell the Pages: A Love Letter to Bookshops in the Digital Age

While digital media and big online retailers have changed how people read and shop, books and bookstores—especially independent ones—are unlikely to disappear completely.

Here’s why:

1. Books are physical, sensory experiences: Many readers love the feel, smell, and look of a real book. It’s more than just content—it’s an experience.
2. Bookstores build community: Indie shops like Tattered Reads offer personal curation, local events, and a cozy, human experience you can’t get from an algorithm.
3. Print still outsells digital in many genres: Especially in fiction, children’s books, and illustrated formats, physical books remain dominant.
4. The rise of niche and secondhand: Used bookstores, zine shops, and small presses are thriving in communities that value sustainability, uniqueness, and nostalgia.

Books and bookstores are evolving, not vanishing. The future may look different—but stories, and the spaces built around them, still matter deeply.