BookPeople appears to be just a typical bookstore with a coffee shop at the back and an expansive magazine section on the right. But there are readers stretched out on well-worn recliners near shelves devoted exclusively to Texan writers. Then there's the second-floor toy section with everything from a Cat Buddha figuring to a Sigmund Freud action figure. Also available there are their trademark bumper stickers dedicated to keeping the store's hometown weird.
"We've got that funky look and feel all around the store," said Jeremy Ellis, marketing director for BookPeople. "We've been a part of the community."
Since BookPeople moved into its Sixth Street and Lamar Boulevard home seven years ago, six Barnes & Noble stores and two Borders have opened in Austin. The possible arrival of a Borders only 300 feet from BookPeople's front door was examined in a December 2002 study by Austin nonprofit group Liveable City.
Liveable City, a group committed to preserving the quality of life in Austin, concluded in the study that a new chain bookstore at the Sixth Street and Lamar Boulevard area would surely hurt independents BookPeople and Waterloo Records & Video.
BookPeople is one of the few large independent bookstores left in Texas and offers their customers a wide range of events, such as three storytimes each week and more than 200 book signings since opening. The store also boasts more than 200,000 titles.
"Anybody who does comparative shopping will see we have a bigger selection than anyone in town," Ellis said.
That wide selection is unique to the Austin area by carrying and supporting local authors and alternative literature. BookPeople is the only store in town that carries best-selling author Dave Eggers' newest book, You Shall Know Our Velocity.
Ellis also said he believes BookPeople caters to the local community needs simply by being knowledgeable about the books they sell.
"The big joke around the store is that people say, 'I want that book by that guy that was on TV yesterday,'" he said. "And we can usually get it. We're keyed in."
Susan Post, owner of Book Woman, an independent bookstore farther north on Lamar Boulevard, said she believes her store's specialization in women authors and feminist literature will draw repeat customers.
"Our net is cast very wide so we have a wide selection," Post said. "New customers came in this weekend and were just like, 'Wow, I didn't know you had all of this.'"
The 27-year-old store also sells T-shirts and bumper stickers.
"Chain stores may offer more books, but they may not all be relevant to the person buying them," Post said.
Independently owned used bookstores have been competing with chains like Half Price Books, since the chain's Guadalupe Street store was originally located more than a mile away, on Lavaca Street.
Book Exchange on Manchaca Road deals exclusively with used paperbacks and has been open for more than 25 years.
"We have probably the cheapest books in town," bookseller Michael Stuart said. "We're half of Half Price Books."
Stuart, who has worked at Barnes & Noble, Waldenbooks and the University Co-op , thinks selling books at a quarter of their cover cost will keep customers in the store no matter what chain moves in.
"As long as people are reading and with money the way it is now, instead of spending $20 on a book, they can come in here and get it for a buck fifty," he said.
Other used-book stores like 10-year-old 12th Street Books and 6-year-old Curio Corner Books have expanded their sales by branching out onto the Internet. Both stores promise to assist customers in their search for rare and hard to find books.
"Our bookstore is a lot better than the chains if you want to take a day to shop for books and look around," said Ingrid Powell, 12th Street Books clerk. "But I think the main thing the owners feel threatened by is the rent in Austin."
Rent and competition have closed down six independent bookstores in Austin over the past three years. One of these, Adventures in Crime and Space, operates only online now after spending seven years in their Sixth Street storefront.
Liveable City hosted a forum on Jan. 21 to discuss the proposed plans for the Sixth and Lamar area and offered solutions to keep independent stores from meeting the fate that others have. BookPeople owner Steve Bercu, community members, employees fearing for their jobs and concerned customers showed up at La Zona Rosa to support their local bookstores.
Borders, the store slated to compete with Austin's local bookstores, began as an independent bookstore itself more than 30 years ago on the University of Michigan campus.
"Borders remains true to its independent bookstore roots," said Jennifer Magdziak, Austin and San Antonio marketing manager for Borders Group Inc. "Great customer service, an unparalleled depth of selection and close ties with the communities in which we do business remain the strong foundation of the successful Borders bookstore chain of over 400 stores."
The first Borders location in Austin opened on Research Boulevard in 1995, followed four years later by its South Lamar Boulevard location. The proposed storefront across from BookPeople would be the chain's first centrally located store in Austin.
Magdziak said she believes it is possible for Borders and independent bookstores to thrive in the same community.
"Borders encourages the proliferation of literature and celebrates reading," she said. "We consider any outlet that fosters an appreciation of literacy an ally, including independent bookstores."
Magdziak said their Ann Arbor, Mich., location positively affected independent bookstores by bringing more customer traffic into the area. Those behind the Sixth and Lamar project hope a new Borders will do the same for BookPeople.
As "a community bound by books," as the BookPeople slogan says, marketing director Ellis is confident that the 33-year-old store he works for will make it.
"We'll just continue to be the best bookstore in Texas," he said.
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