In one way or another, I’ve been in the publishing business all my professional life. Other than my first job as a stock and delivery boy for our local produce store when I was 11 (I can still remember the smell as I entered the refrigerator every day), print has been and still is in my blood.
In no particular order I worked as a newspaper delivery person, a picker/packer in a magazine warehouse, a travelling salesman selling specialty magazines to bookstores around the US, a distributor of comic books, trading cards and sports memorabilia, founded the largest specialty magazine distributor in the US, published a short-lived magazine called COMEDY (the business of making people laugh) and obviously my current position as CEO and Co-Founder of Digital Content Creators.
Amid some considerable successes and notable failures, I will always fondly remember my time as a part owner (and stock clerk) of one of the legendary independent bookstores in NYC. THE IDLE HOURS in the heart of Greenwich Village circa early 1980’s was on the cutting edge of bringing eclectic books, journals, magazines to one of the most literate communities in the world.
To this day whenever I travel I make sure I find time to visit the best independent bookstore in the area. So when I came across this article, I was curious to see how many I had actually visited. I was disappointed to realize I have been to only 6. In my defense, Libreria Acqua Alta, in Venice was within my grasp, but exhausted toddlers made it very risky.
I also have a bone to pick with the author. I understand her choices, but I could argue that BOOK SOUP in West Hollywood CA., belongs on this list as much as CITY LIGHTS and POWELL’S do.