Joe Petri, owner of Westside
Stories Used Books, 205 Grant St., opened up his store five years ago during the
rise of e-readers despite decreasing sales of hardcover books nationwide. He remains
optimistic for lovers of traditional books. “I have so many hardcover books I
can make furniture out of them,” says Petri. In the mid-2000s the rise of
e-books shocked the world of printed books leading to the slow decrease sales
of traditional print materials. According
to the Association of American Publishers, throughout 2015 hardcover book sales
dropped almost 19 percent. However, sales are on the rise for paperback and
hardcover books for the first time this year in four years. The sales of
paperback books rose 7.2 percent and hardcover books rose 17.4 percent. Petri
continues to believe there is room for print books in the book industry. “I
have a physical copy of Leonard Cohen’s original poetry, that can be considered
a piece of art, something that can’t be considered a collectable if it was an
e-book,” said Petri. “I don’t think digital books are bad. They certainly have
a place, especially for a college student. I just can’t imagine something other
than a physical book.” By Tiera Daughtry
and Vincent Nguyen
