MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Russell Chisholm, the owner of Easy Chair Coffee Shop and Bookstore in Blacksburg, has launched a used bookstore in the shop called Blacksburg Reads. He is accepting donations of used books for deals on coffee.

| Allison Chopin

allison.chopin@roanoke.com, 381-1677

BLACKSBURG Book-lovers lamenting last year's loss of the Easy Chair Bookstore at University Mall may have reason to hope for the revival of independent book sales.

Russell Chisholm, founder of the Easy Chair Coffee Shop and Bookstore, has converted some space in the coffee shop into a used bookstore, to be known as Blacksburg Reads.

The original bookstore, which relocated to the mall from Main Street downtown, has been closed for a year. But the coffee shop has been thriving at University Mall for almost 14 years. Chisholm said he couldn't bear to deprive readers of a place to buy books from a local business, so he decided to stock the shelves in the "reading room" at the coffee shop with used books.

"It pains me to think of Blacksburg as a place without an independent bookstore," he said.

So far, Chisholm is relying on donations of used books. The week leading up to July 4 was "Bookshelf Independence Week," during which customers traded used books for a coffee or other beverage. The sale of used books launched on the holiday. Since then, the Easy Chair has sold used books for $1, $3 or $5 -- and continues to accept books in exchange for coffee.

Chisholm said the exchange allows people to clear out their shelves, get something in return and feel good about donating.

About half the current merchandise includes new books left over from the bookstore, now being sold at used prices. Chisholm said he hopes to keep the donations coming but will eventually turn to other sources for books, such as publishers' remainders.

He said independent stores have trouble competing with the prices at bigger stores. The book industry itself is struggling, since reading now competes with DVDs, the Internet and other distractions.

Chisholm is not alone in his wish to see Blacksburg broaden its culture of books.

Matthew Vollmer, local fiction writer and English instructor at Virginia Tech, said it is important for a town to have an independent bookstore, especially one that offers used books.

"That's been my biggest complaint about living here," he said. "How is it possible that a college town doesn't have a used bookstore?"

Vollmer said he often turns to the YMCA at Virginia Tech's annual book sale or Amazon for used books. "If there was a store that offered a decent selection, I'd be one of its No. 1 customers," he said.

So why would readers want to shop at a local store when they have options such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble? Chisholm said an independent store fosters a connection that doesn't exist with a chain. Owners of a local business know the community and what its readers want, he said.

"I really think it's a more personalized experience for the reader," said Chisholm, who said people also like to support their local businesses in hard economic times.

Chisholm hopes to rely on the success of the coffee shop to help sales. Coffee creates the perfect atmosphere for books, he said, since coffee shops have a history as gathering places for poetry readings and political meetings.

Chisholm has a broad selection, from comics to coffee table art books, and, he said, he hopes the donations will keep rolling in. Since it requires minimal effort, Chisholm can sit back and see where it takes him.

"I look forward to the fall. I'm very optimistic."