JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Digital books are changing the way we read. Amazon.com is selling more ebooks than paperbacks. And as a result, book superstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble are reporting tough financial times.
As ebooks continue to gain popularity, it begs question. What does does the future hold for small, locally owned bookstores?
Action News went to the San Marco Bookstore and found out the key to staying competitve is just a little creativity.
The San Marco Bookstore has been ringing up sales for nearly four decades. And co-owner Jan Molyneaux says her store is here to stay. The age of e-readers and instant downloads doesn't scare her a bit.
"We have too many books that are rare and unusual, out of print, and that people just can't find at the new bookstores," she said.
To give her store an edge, she's diversified her inventory enough that her store has become a one stop gift shop. You can buy everything from the book to the bow.
And even in our point and click culture, she says there are still a lot of people who like to browse around a bookstore.
"They can see them. They can smell them and hold them," said Molyneaux.
She sells used books and leather-bound first editions, some a century old.
She says the key to staying competitive is offering things you can't get online. She sells more than just books. She sells stories, history, nostalgia.
"I have a lot of repeat customers who just enjoy coming in an adding to our collections and love what they find," she said.
The San Marco Bookstore is the oldest used bookstore in Jacksonville still operating the the same location.
