Uneasy over Barnes & Noble’s surprise return to Bryn Mawr, Main Line bookstore owners unite, plan ‘give back’ week to local causes

The Main Line’s independent bookstores have surmounted a sea of challenges: Amazon, e-books, the pandemic.

But then, out of nowhere, a tidal wave: Barnes & Noble crashed ashore in Bryn Mawr on Feb. 12, returning to the very same building it had left 18 years ago.

Worse yet, the chain store’s new strategy seemed ripped from the indie playbook: cozy up the shopping experience (i.e. less supermarket, more boutique-like), focus on local reading tastes and showcase local authors.

Rather than wallow in private worry, the bookstores – all are owned by women – decided to take on the corporate giant together. To that end, Main Point Books in Wayne, Children’s Book World in Haverford, Narberth Bookshop, Character Development Books & Toys (also in Narberth), and Mavey Books in Ardmore just launched a new collective, Indie Main Line.

Its mission: Remind folks – through words and deeds – to think twice about where they buy their books. They’re handing out branded bookmarks, launching a website to share events, and planning a weeklong “give back” shopping week to benefit local charities.

Indie Main Line is starting with bookstores but might one day expand to local coffee shops and other homegrown retailers, organizers say.

What sets indies apart from national chains: Not only do they reflect the communities they serve, they’re personally invested in them, says Main Point Books owner Cathy Fiebach (below).

They donate to local causes, accept your children as interns, host community programs and provide spaces for neighborhood connection, Fiebach says.

“We’re the store that provides a gift certificate for your child’s school auction,” adds Heather Hebert, second-generation owner of Children’s Book World. “We’re the store that provides an author for your children at their school. We’re part of the community; we give back to the community. We just want people to take few minutes and think about that before they walk into a big box store and their money goes out of the community.”

Narberth Bookshop owner Ellen Trachtenberg calls the return of Barnes & Noble “alarming and concerning but I’m not going to feel bullied by it. I feel we offer something to the community that’s pretty hard for a big chain store to replicate. Unlike a corporate entity, we give back to the community every single day – whether it’s through revenue, taxes or the programs we offer.”

Now in its 35th year near Haverford station, Children’s Book World is the only indie that predates the big box stores. For a time, it was sandwiched between two Borders (in Rosemont and Wynnewood) and the Bryn Mawr Barnes & Noble.

Despite the new competition one town over, Hebert says she’ll hew to the same winning formula: stock only books that her staff has read and can personally recommend, host fun family events, bring in area authors and illustrators, and partner with public and private schools on customized book fairs.

“We’re much more than a retail store,” Hebert says. “We’ve spread our tentacles far and wide.”

Nothing cheers her more, she says, than seeing customers who shopped with their parents as toddlers bring their own children to the store. Children’s Book World survived the first wave of chain bookstores and is committed to surviving the second, Hebert asserts.

The big chains were long gone when Narberth Bookshop opened nine years ago. Proprietor Ellen Trachtenberg admits she wouldn’t have taken the plunge if Borders had still been operating a mile away in Wynnewood.

Like the other indie booksellers, Narberth Bookshop has become part of the fabric of the town, a place for conversation as well as contemplation. The store hosts three book clubs, a writer’s group, author signings, civic and business events, a “Reading With Purpose” series at Main Line School Night, and the “Same Page Contemplative Community of Readers Activists and Peace Seekers.”

A veteran bookseller in New York City, Trachtenberg was convinced Narberth needed its own bookstore. Not only did it have a walkable downtown, but residents were uncommonly cohesive and civically engaged.

Because floor space is limited, Narberth Bookshop focuses mostly on literary fiction: bestsellers and unheralded gems. Looking for a wide selection of children’s books? Narberth Bookshop will refer you to its Haverford Road neighbor, Character Developments Books & Toys, now in its 23^rd year.

“I put my heart and soul into selecting books that resonate with the community,” Trachtenberg says. “People are looking for good solid recommendations from a human being, not an algorithm.” If you don’t see a title on her shelves, she can almost always can order it.

Eight miles east, Main Point Books opened 12 years ago. LIke Narberth’s Trachtenberg, owner Cathy Fiebach says she wouldn’t have gone into the book business if the Wynnewood Borders hadn’t closed in 2011. 

Main Point Books also thrives on customer loyalty, book launches and author events for all ages and interests, and its walkable location amid Wayne’s restaurant row. The community has embraced her store and vice-versa, Fiebach says. She is happy to host storytime for neighboring preschools; Christopher’s frequently sends families waiting for tables to her store on busy weekends.

What bothers Fiebach most about Barnes & Noble’s return to the Main Line? “They’re reclaiming territory they abandoned. It feels like they’re deliberately targeting spots that have successful independent bookstores.”

Joining hands made sense because the five booksellers complement each other and have always referred business to one another. Someone looking for a book about a marginalized community might be sent to the Main Line’s newest indie, BIPOC-owned Mavey Books in Ardmore, which carries a nice selection of social justice books.

While each store caters to its neighborhood, they share a simple message, Fiebach says. “If you want us to be here – a nice place to browse and meet your neighbors and local authors – please support us. We plan on outlasting Barnes & Noble but we need your help.”

The five bookshops will host “Indie Main Line Gives Back” Monday, March 10 through Friday, March 14. Shop on any of those days at Main Point Books in Wayne, Mavey Books in Ardmore, Narberth Bookshop  and Character Development Books & Toys in Narberth, and Children’s Book World in Haverford and owners will donate 20 percent of sales to five local nonprofits: The Saturday Club, Wolf Performing Arts Center, Reach Out and Read, Centro de Apoyo and Lower Merion Conservancy.