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Weird is American
Dec. 4th, 2003 03:44 pmI hope Steve Bercu doesn't mind me re-publishing this letter here. He apparantly wrote it to Publisher's Weekly. I haven't found it online anywhere, but it's worth reading, so I'll post it.
http://www.bookpeople.com/
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Steve Bercu, owner of BookPeople, Austin, Tex., writes:
Sometime in October 2002, I was talking with the owner of Waterloo Records about our struggle to stop the City of Austin from providing incentives for a developer who planned to put a chain bookstore across the street from our stores. I suggested that we get some bumper stickers that said "Keep Austin Weird," put both our logos on them, and then give them away at our stores. I thought it would be fun and that it would capture a little of the spirit of Austin, its interest in staying unique, its independent streak, its slightly quirky feel. We decided that we should buy 5,000 stickers and see what our customers thought.
Thus began the best marketing and branding concept that either one of us has ever thought up. Several things were apparent immediately. Putting both of us on the same piece made people stop momentarily and ponder why we were there together (both independent businesses and across the street from each other), and 5,000 was way too few. Our first order was followed by an order for 10,000, and that one was followed by an order for 25,000. As of September 15 this year, we have given away about 60,000 stickers, or almost one for every 15 people in Austin.
"Keep Austin Weird" has become the rallying call for almost everything Austin. When the present mayor (then still a city council member) put together a task force to deal with retaining the cultural vitality of the city the newspapers immediately named it the "Keep Austin Weird Task Force." Dozens of other independent businesses have begun selling shirts with their logos on one side and "Keep Austin Weird" on the other. On September 6, 4,000-5,000 runners participated in the first Keep Austin Weird 5K.
In his new book, Thieves in High Places, Jim Hightower says, "In the last couple of years, though, the official unofficial citywide slogan (causing the Chamber of Commerce suits to grind their teeth, for they're promoting a proper corporate image) has become: 'Keep Austin Weird.' It's on people's bumpers, on our T-shirts, mugs, Web sites, and wherever else we can plaster it, for it's our rallying cry for the ongoing battle for the soul of the city. Are we to be just another splotch of CorporateWorld--or something different, special, interesting. . . Austiny?"
Keeping Austin Weird is great fun and great for Austin, but it is not something that is unique to Austin. It is Austin's answer to the national problem of sameness that communities are suffering and reacting against. Everyone wants to live somewhere that has some uniqueness and does not feel like every other place in the country. What's new is that people are finally realizing that the proliferation of chain stores is not anything to be happy about, and that they must take action if they are to maintain any character in their cities. Those actions include supporting locally owned businesses and also seeing that their city governments do not provide incentives for the development of shopping areas that will be inhabited by chains in the foolish hope that they are thereby increasing the sales tax revenues they cherish.
As a part of our campaign to stop the proposed incentives in Austin we commissioned an economic impact analysis. That analysis made clear what we had long suspected--that it is better for the community to shop at locally owned businesses. The economic impact of BookPeople and Waterloo was about 3.5 times that of a chain competitor. We were able to show our city council that even if the chain store somehow miraculously brought 50% new business to the area that the city would lose money. Our council listened and has since changed its method and criteria for awarding incentives. The chain store withdrew from its lease in early May. It was declared a victory for keeping Austin Weird.
What happened in Austin is happening all over the country. Businesses are forming Independent Business Alliances and garnering support from their communities. City governments are beginning to do the math and realizing that their sales tax revenues will increase more over the long run if they support their citizens than if they take a chance on a chain that has no real connection to the community. All of this is a hopeful sign.
Booksellers must help themselves by helping their communities. They have to found and support independent business alliances and be the center of their community. It will take time and effort, but be worth it. Every place has something that people will rally around to show their support for where they live. Booksellers have to reach beyond just the book community to make this happen.
Publishers need to support these efforts. By doing so, they keep their customers healthy, help themselves and do us all a favor. They have to look outside their regular coop to sponsor directories, conferences and other endeavors.
Diversity is America. It's what we purport to supply in our stores, offering customers numerous choices of points of view so that they can reach their own conclusions. Anything that limits those choices harms us all.
-----------------
http://www.bookpeople.com/
-------------------------
Steve Bercu, owner of BookPeople, Austin, Tex., writes:
Sometime in October 2002, I was talking with the owner of Waterloo Records about our struggle to stop the City of Austin from providing incentives for a developer who planned to put a chain bookstore across the street from our stores. I suggested that we get some bumper stickers that said "Keep Austin Weird," put both our logos on them, and then give them away at our stores. I thought it would be fun and that it would capture a little of the spirit of Austin, its interest in staying unique, its independent streak, its slightly quirky feel. We decided that we should buy 5,000 stickers and see what our customers thought.
Thus began the best marketing and branding concept that either one of us has ever thought up. Several things were apparent immediately. Putting both of us on the same piece made people stop momentarily and ponder why we were there together (both independent businesses and across the street from each other), and 5,000 was way too few. Our first order was followed by an order for 10,000, and that one was followed by an order for 25,000. As of September 15 this year, we have given away about 60,000 stickers, or almost one for every 15 people in Austin.
"Keep Austin Weird" has become the rallying call for almost everything Austin. When the present mayor (then still a city council member) put together a task force to deal with retaining the cultural vitality of the city the newspapers immediately named it the "Keep Austin Weird Task Force." Dozens of other independent businesses have begun selling shirts with their logos on one side and "Keep Austin Weird" on the other. On September 6, 4,000-5,000 runners participated in the first Keep Austin Weird 5K.
In his new book, Thieves in High Places, Jim Hightower says, "In the last couple of years, though, the official unofficial citywide slogan (causing the Chamber of Commerce suits to grind their teeth, for they're promoting a proper corporate image) has become: 'Keep Austin Weird.' It's on people's bumpers, on our T-shirts, mugs, Web sites, and wherever else we can plaster it, for it's our rallying cry for the ongoing battle for the soul of the city. Are we to be just another splotch of CorporateWorld--or something different, special, interesting. . . Austiny?"
Keeping Austin Weird is great fun and great for Austin, but it is not something that is unique to Austin. It is Austin's answer to the national problem of sameness that communities are suffering and reacting against. Everyone wants to live somewhere that has some uniqueness and does not feel like every other place in the country. What's new is that people are finally realizing that the proliferation of chain stores is not anything to be happy about, and that they must take action if they are to maintain any character in their cities. Those actions include supporting locally owned businesses and also seeing that their city governments do not provide incentives for the development of shopping areas that will be inhabited by chains in the foolish hope that they are thereby increasing the sales tax revenues they cherish.
As a part of our campaign to stop the proposed incentives in Austin we commissioned an economic impact analysis. That analysis made clear what we had long suspected--that it is better for the community to shop at locally owned businesses. The economic impact of BookPeople and Waterloo was about 3.5 times that of a chain competitor. We were able to show our city council that even if the chain store somehow miraculously brought 50% new business to the area that the city would lose money. Our council listened and has since changed its method and criteria for awarding incentives. The chain store withdrew from its lease in early May. It was declared a victory for keeping Austin Weird.
What happened in Austin is happening all over the country. Businesses are forming Independent Business Alliances and garnering support from their communities. City governments are beginning to do the math and realizing that their sales tax revenues will increase more over the long run if they support their citizens than if they take a chance on a chain that has no real connection to the community. All of this is a hopeful sign.
Booksellers must help themselves by helping their communities. They have to found and support independent business alliances and be the center of their community. It will take time and effort, but be worth it. Every place has something that people will rally around to show their support for where they live. Booksellers have to reach beyond just the book community to make this happen.
Publishers need to support these efforts. By doing so, they keep their customers healthy, help themselves and do us all a favor. They have to look outside their regular coop to sponsor directories, conferences and other endeavors.
Diversity is America. It's what we purport to supply in our stores, offering customers numerous choices of points of view so that they can reach their own conclusions. Anything that limits those choices harms us all.
-----------------
