Isabelle Frost
“Choose indie every month” and “Don’t let the robots get you down” reads a sign hanging on the wall of Oxford’s staple locally owned bookstore, Square Books.
In an age when even reading has become digitized, Square Books makes a case to keep it real and physical. The store’s success dates back to its beginning 44 years ago, and it has not slowed yet.
Although Square Books offers a unique, personal shopping experience, some find that buying books from large sites such as Amazon is more convenient. Richard Howorth, Square Books’ owner, maintains that despite the ease of buying from a digital market site, shopping locally is the way to go.
“Amazon does an enormous amount of business, but there are a lot of people who continue to shop here because they prefer to shop this way. They like the presence of Square Books in this community in Mississippi and want to support that,” Howorth said.
For those who elect to purchase books from large retailers like Amazon, affordability is a major part of the appeal. For instance, “The Candy House,” a novel by Jennifer Egan, can be bought as a hardcover on Amazon for $14.89. Square Books sells the same book for $28. This is almost double the price of the Amazon copy, which also offers free shipping for Prime members.
Oxford local and junior journalism major Emma Greene notices the price difference, but she believes she gets more for her buck buying locally.
“While I do notice a price difference, the experience of shopping at a local bookstore will always be worth it to me,” Greene said.
According to a study done by the American Booksellers Association and Civic Economics, shoppers spent $367 billion on Amazon in 2021. Approximately 136,000 retail shops were displaced in the same year, and in turn 1.7 million retail workers were out of work.
“Buying from Amazon circulates just 5.8% of revenue into your local economy. Buying from local, independently owned bookstores creates 4 times more local economic activity than buying from Amazon,” ABA said.
Even though Amazon offers perks such as worldwide shipping and lower prices, local bookstores have distinct benefits. Events such as book signings and story-time takeovers make buying local an enticing experience.
“If I’m looking to browse or read for fun, Square Books is the best option for me. The wide variety of options makes it easier to find new things to read. Amazon is perfect if you know exactly what you need, but otherwise an in-person store is more practical,” junior accounting major Caroline Dykes said.
Ridgeland, Miss., native and freshman accounting major Mia Penner says that she sometimes purchases books online, but that does not mean that she buys from Amazon, either.
“If it’s a book that I for sure know is not going to be in stores … I will purchase it online, but not through Amazon,” Penner said. “Most of the time, I purchase it through Thrift Books, so it’s used and cheap.”
Square Books has been in business since 1979. Gross profits for the business have risen every year but two – the 2008 recession and 2020 pandemic. Even during these tough times, Square Books kept a significant amount of loyal customers.
According to Howorth, his store’s atmosphere and the feeling of shopping for books in-person keeps customers coming back for more.
“A lot of the people who come to our store like the experience of being in the store and seeing all the books. They like to go to a certain section of the store and see a selection of new books or standard backlist,” Howorth said.
Whether buying from Square Books or online book purchasing services, there is a consensus in finding whatever suits each individual best.
“Both Amazon and Square Books are solid options. It just depends on what you are looking for,” Dykes said.
Editor’s Note: Emma Greene was a writer for the arts and culture section of the Daily Mississippian from 2021 to 2022.
