As Amazon expands its annual Prime Day sale from two days of steep discounts to four days, MainStreet BookEnds in Warner is trusting its customers to choose local.
“At this point, people have made a decision that they choose to support local businesses,” said Katherine Nevins, the bookstore’s owner. “More and more people have returned to independent bookstores.”
Nevins said her store has felt the impact of ongoing competition between Amazon and small businesses since the shipping conglomerate’s creation.
When she first opened her bookstore 27 years ago, she said banks and community members met her with push back and told her the shop would never survive given Amazon’s popularity.
Now, Nevins feels confident that Prime Day, or days, does not affect the business.
“I believe that people are recognizing the impact that they have on where they choose to put their dollars, and they’re making a difference,” she said.
Other small, local retailers have been vocal about resisting Amazon’s reach. In downtown Concord, Gibson’s Bookstore has started a “Shop Indie” campaign that overlaps with Prime Day from July 8 to 11.
The campaign calls for residents to shop local — whether it’s Prime Day or any other day of the year.
Locals looking to shop at bookstores in the area can visit:
Balin Books, Nashua
Bookery Manchester, Manchester
Country Bookseller, Wolfboro
Gibson’s Bookstore, Concord
Innisfree Bookshop, Laconia and Meredith
Little Village Toy and Book Shop, Littleton
MainStreet BookEnds of Warner, Warner
Old Number Six Book Depot, Henniker
Water Street Bookstore, Exeter
White Birch Books, North Conway Village
Kiera McLaughlin can be reached at kmclaughlin@cmonitor.com