Comments on: Kepler’s Member Appreciation Night http://rickyopaterny.com/blog/2006/03/20/keplers-member-appreciation-night/ Ricky Opaterny on Books, Music, Art, and Sports Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:25:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Daniel Mart http://rickyopaterny.com/blog/2006/03/20/keplers-member-appreciation-night/comment-page-1/#comment-2976 Daniel Mart Sun, 16 Apr 2006 06:49:23 +0000 http://www.gen-o.com/blog/?p=115#comment-2976 I "wholeheartedly" agree, and do purchase "all" of my books at independent booksellers, too. I am doing my best to promote Kepler's via myspace.com and livejournal.com, which I am members of. Unfortunately, humongous chains such as Barnes & Noble and Borders have lured the overly gullible public away from independent booksellers. Independent bookstores are vital to communities, and they serve as small reminders of what we once were, and can be again, and that a 51+ year old bookstore such as Keplers can survive and serve as an escape from the current world; as a step back in time, if you will: where communities depended on the local family business; where life was easy-going and there wasn't a care in the world; and, most importantly, where money wasn't the root of everything. We need independent bookstores. We need Keplers. We need not forget who we really are and where we came from. We need not forget what truly matters in life, and not to just go the easy route. We "need" not forget ... ourselves. To see Kepler's close for good after 51+ years of proudly serving these communites would break my heart. I “wholeheartedly” agree, and do purchase “all” of my books at independent booksellers, too. I am doing my best to promote Kepler’s via myspace.com and livejournal.com, which I am members of.

Unfortunately, humongous chains such as Barnes & Noble and Borders have lured the overly gullible public away from independent booksellers. Independent bookstores are vital to communities, and they serve as small reminders of what we once were, and can be again, and that a 51+ year old bookstore such as Keplers can survive and serve as an escape from the current world; as a step back in time, if you will: where communities depended on the local family business; where life was easy-going and there wasn’t a care in the world; and, most importantly, where money wasn’t the root of everything.

We need independent bookstores. We need Keplers. We need not forget who we really are and where we came from. We need not forget what truly matters in life, and not to just go the easy route. We “need” not forget … ourselves.

To see Kepler’s close for good after 51+ years of proudly serving these communites would break my heart.

]]> By: Chris http://rickyopaterny.com/blog/2006/03/20/keplers-member-appreciation-night/comment-page-1/#comment-2808 Chris Thu, 23 Mar 2006 07:19:35 +0000 http://www.gen-o.com/blog/?p=115#comment-2808 The best minds in silicon valley are probably as skilled and experienced as one could desire when the goal is to keep the business afloat: but as evicious noted, it is not the business that made the store worth saving. It is literary passion (a concept inextricably linked to a respect for the past) that nourished the soul of Kepler's into an entity grander than the economic service provided. Getting people to forgo their best economic interests can be short-lived, and if what Rick describes is true, then something other than patting myself on the back for shopping at Kepler's must be present to ensure customers continue to shop Kepler's. For me, that has always be the knowledge that setting foot inside that shop gave me front-row seats for a vibrant literary culture, and knowing that the people who wrote the books I read about and go to Kepler's to buy will be on site is a very big part of that. I'm thrilled the shop is open, and am aware of the brutal realities the future holds, but steps taken away from that passionate literary soul I have known as Kepler's undercut the only reason why I shop there at all. The best minds in silicon valley are probably as skilled and experienced as one could desire when the goal is to keep the business afloat: but as evicious noted, it is not the business that made the store worth saving. It is literary passion (a concept inextricably linked to a respect for the past) that nourished the soul of Kepler’s into an entity grander than the economic service provided. Getting people to forgo their best economic interests can be short-lived, and if what Rick describes is true, then something other than patting myself on the back for shopping at Kepler’s must be present to ensure customers continue to shop Kepler’s. For me, that has always be the knowledge that setting foot inside that shop gave me front-row seats for a vibrant literary culture, and knowing that the people who wrote the books I read about and go to Kepler’s to buy will be on site is a very big part of that. I’m thrilled the shop is open, and am aware of the brutal realities the future holds, but steps taken away from that passionate literary soul I have known as Kepler’s undercut the only reason why I shop there at all.

]]> By: evicious http://rickyopaterny.com/blog/2006/03/20/keplers-member-appreciation-night/comment-page-1/#comment-2802 evicious Tue, 21 Mar 2006 20:20:03 +0000 http://www.gen-o.com/blog/?p=115#comment-2802 Who does Anne Banta consider her core customers? It's worth noting that when Kepler's closed last year, it was book lovers like you, not people who buy children's toys at bookstores, who came out to keep the bookstore open. Who does Anne Banta consider her core customers? It’s worth noting that when Kepler’s closed last year, it was book lovers like you, not people who buy children’s toys at bookstores, who came out to keep the bookstore open.

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