Not long after the once-mighty Borders bookstore chain closed its Wynnewood and Rosemont locations in 2011, Cathy Fiebach went to work on her own community-minded concept.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmazon was already a force, but I believed I couldn\u2019t be the only one who still valued the experience of browsing, discovering and discussing books in person,\u201d says Fiebach.<\/p>\n
Twelve years later, her Main Point Books<\/a> continues to thrive, moving from Bryn Mawr to Wayne in 2016. And for a while there, it looked like the independents would be a bibliophile\u2019s only option in the region. Then, 18 years after closing, Barnes & Noble made a surprise return to its former Bryn Mawr location this past February. Taking a page from the indie playbook, B&N CEO James Daunt swapped the rigid corporate formula for a more book-focused model that gives local store managers and the community more say in curating selections. The company has even acquired struggling independent shops, renovating them to feel more local. All of which has led to significant expansion and renewed popularity for B&N.<\/p>\n \u201cWE HAVE MORE THAN 75 YEARS OF COMBINED SELLING EXPERIENCE. WE KNOW WHAT WE\u2019RE DOING, AND WE\u2019RE GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.\u201d Not coincidentally, the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association hosted a 2025 workshop to coach its hundreds of member bookstores from Maryland to New York on what to do when a B&N opens in their town. Fiebach happened to be on the call\u2014and so was Heather Hebert, owner of Children\u2019s Book World<\/a> in Haverford. \u201cWe were talking afterwards about what a great experience it was to talk to everybody and figure out ways to work together,\u201d says Hebert. \u201cAnd we thought we should do this more intimately with just the Main Line bookstores.\u201d<\/p>\n Main Point and Children\u2019s Book World joined with three other women-owned stores\u2014Narberth Bookshop, nearby Character Development<\/a> and Ardmore\u2019s Mavy Books\u2014to form the Indie Main Line Coalition. They launched their collaboration with the \u201cIndie Loves Back\u201d event in March, donating portions of sales to five local charities. This summer, they hosted a mini book crawl where participants received a punch card and were encouraged to make a purchase at each store. \u201cWe have more than 75 years of combined selling experience,\u201d says Sally Drucker, manager of Children\u2019s Book World. \u201cWe know what we\u2019re doing, and we\u2019re giving back to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think sticking together makes us stronger,\u201d adds Fiebach. \u201cThere\u2019s room for all of us when we focus on collaboration over competition.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with B&N making every effort to approximate the vibe of a local book shop, it\u2019s still not the same as a real \u201cmom and pop,\u201d where the manager is often the owner\u2014and likely to take note of your purchase habits from day one. It\u2019s certainly the sort of personalized experience that goes well beyond Amazon\u2019s AI-generated recommendations. \u201cWe like to think we\u2019re big enough to serve everybody, but small enough to know everybody,\u201d Hebert says.<\/p>\n Though Mavey Books has since taken a step back from the coalition, the four others continue to work together. \u201cA lot of times, customers would come in, and if we didn\u2019t have something on the shelf that they wanted, their reaction would be, \u2018I\u2019ll go order it online,\u2019\u201d says Hebert. \u201cNow, we say, \u2018Let me see if Narberth Bookshop has that.\u2019 And if they do, that\u2019s great. It\u2019s a sale for them. We\u2019ve kept it in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n While there\u2019s still a level of competition, each shop has a niche. \u201cEach of our stores has a unique personality,\u201d says Ellen Trachtenberg, owner of Narberth Bookshop<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s been wonderful to unite with a common goal.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only has the Indie Main Line coalition been good for business\u2014it\u2019s been good for morale. \u201cWe\u2019re all women of similar ages, and it\u2019s felt less like competition and more like gaining a group of friends and mentors,\u201d says Fiebach. \u201cWe act as sounding boards for each other, whether it\u2019s troubleshooting a point-of-sale system, asking for advice about running events or just offering encouragement. Being able to pick up the phone and talk to someone who really understands the unique challenges of this business has been invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n Stay tuned for more coalition events. \u201cOur goal is to try to do something every season together,\u201d says Hebert. \u201cI really would like to get to a point that the community starts looking forward to these events and feels like they\u2019re part of this big extended family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u2014CHILDREN\u2019S BOOK WORLD\u2019S SALLY DRUCKER<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n