Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Printer's Inc. & Kepler's

Author:Scott Storkel
Posted:1/8/1999; 3:52:09 PM
Topic:Printer's Inc. & Kepler's
Msg #:1926
Prev/Next:1925 / 1927

Today, I saw the pointer from Scripting News to the article on Wired about the Printer's Inc. bookstore in Palo Alto going out of business. While I think it's nice that Printer's Inc. is pointing the finger at Amazon.com the REAL reason they went out of business is that they had a terrible selection of books and revolting coffee! I frequently have lunch at a hole-in-the-wall Chinese place near the Printer's Inc. on California Ave. in Palo Alto. In order to have some reading material while I'm waiting for the world's best chicken pot stickers, I'd frequently stop by Printers Inc.

No matter what I was looking for (science fiction, photography magazines, car magazines, travel magazines, reptile magazines [Yes, they exist] travelogues, technical books, woodworking books, you name it) Printer's Inc. rarely had anything I wanted to buy. THAT is the reason they went out of business, not because I'm buying books at Amazon.com. That and the fact that their coffee was terrible. I'm not much of a coffee connoisseur, I'll drink almost anything, but I really thought their coffee was revolting.

I'll admit that I DO shop at Amazon quite a bit, but I don't go to a local bookstore to browse, then go home and order from Amazon. If I want to browse, I go to Kepler's and if I find something I like, I buy it there. If I need a technical book, I'll go to Stacey's on University Ave. I'd guess that I spent roughly the same amount of money at local bookstores this year as last. The extra books I bought this year I bought from Amazon, largely due to 1) their large inventory and quick delivery on a number of esoteric titles which never show up in local bookstores, and 2) their excellent recommendations and extensive reader reviews; they gave me the confidence to order a lot of books I wouldn't have thought twice about if I passed them on the shelf at a local store.

Fortunately, I don't think that Kepler's is going to go out of business any time soon for the following reasons: 1) they've got a much bigger selection than Printer's Inc. (their store is mostly books, unlike Printer's Inc. which was mostly empty space), 2) the staff does a great job of presenting the merchandise (e.g. the books on their tables are actually interesting), and 3) like Amazon they have useful recommendations (in the form of "Staff Picks" cards taped to the shelves.

I'm hoping the Kepler's will continue to be around for a long time! Amazon.com is great, but they just don't entirely replace a good local bookstore!

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