Brick and Mortar

by Catherine Dilts

So much commerce is taking place online via the faceless ether that there is a special phrase for businesses with a physical presence: Brick-and-Mortar. These folks employ your neighbors. They benefit your community.

A brick-and-mortar bookstore in Colorado Springs

People like to rail against the ubiquitous Big A. Then purchase from that company everything from pet food to toilet paper to birthday gifts to tools, receiving the telltale packages on their doorsteps. And yes, books. I will confess I read a lot of e-books on my Kindle.

I’m trying to change my ways. If I can purchase an item from a local business, I need to support my neighbors with my dollars.

As a new author, my daughter Merida Bass craved seeing her books in an actual shop. I’d been down that road years ago, and hadn’t gotten much traction. Enter an ambitious Millennial, and voila, her books are in a brick-and-mortar bookstore.

The Apple of My Eye by Merida Bass

Since we co-author two series (The Ninja Grandparent Placement Mysteries and the YA Tapestry Tales series), I feel no shame riding on her swift-moving coattails. After she secured shelf space in Basecamp Books and Adventure, I contacted the owner about bringing in my Rose Creek Mystery series.

Image by Basecamp Books and Adventure

Here’s good news: savvy bookstores support local authors. Chances are good that they'll carry the work of writers in their area. Basecamp Books and Adventure took our novels on consignment.

The flip side? These shops need our support in return. I ordered my book club’s monthly selections from this friendly bookstore.