Second Star to the Right Asks Denver Readers to #ChooseIndie

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#ChooseIndie

As Amazon Books opened its first Denver storefront last week, Second Star to the Right Books wrote the following letter to the city’s readers:


Bookworms, Bookdragons, Bookstore Pups and Cats, and all Readers in Between:

The day has come. We all have been waiting — maybe with trepidation, maybe with anticipation — and Amazon Books has arrived in Denver. Therefore, we at Second Star to the Right Books wanted to take this opportunity to re-introduce ourselves, our bookstore, and the magic of an independent bookstore.

Second Star is a whimsical and colorful independent bookshop, newly in Platt Park on South Pearl Street, but fresh off a four-year tenure in the Highlands. We specialize in children’s and young adult books, but we are a bookstore for everyone — from the newest human on the block to their Great-Aunt Rosa who is looking for an airplane read.

We can provide a space for you to nurse, or a group that inspires your fifth-grader to read more. We’re staffed with moms, sci-fi nerds, toy enthusiasts, and the occasional one-eyed dog. We are special — and so is every independent bookstore in Denver.

We get it — Amazon has got its thing going. They’re sleek and shiny, affordable and convenient. Independent bookstores, on the other hand, sometimes have two sobbing toddlers, a carpet scattered with light-up bouncy balls, and a smaller inventory in-store. But that makes us special. Your toddlers with Big Feelings are welcome. We love bouncy balls. And every single book in store is one that we handpicked for our community. 

Our booksellers can take a vague idea for a birthday gift and transmogrify it into a book that (we hope) will be read so many times, the binding falls apart. Our school and teacher programs can get authors and books in front of the kids who need them. Our book clubs can provide a space where arguing about whether a book is queer enough is great and wanted and helpful.

Algorithms are great, but staff that has gone on your reading adventures with you and your kid over the years is better. Four-star reviews are helpful, but a colorful spine catching your eye is joyful. Amazon Books is conveniently located, but Tattered Cover has been around for almost 50 years. Amazon Books is cool, but BookBar has wine. Amazon Books has perfectly designed shelves, but Kilgore Books is as fantastically nerdy as you are. Amazon Books has great advertising, but The Bookies has experts in education. Amazon Books can ship within a day, but Hermitage Books just around the corner can help you find that rare title you’ve been wanting.

Denver — you’ve got at least 10 bookstores helping shape your communities, and being shaped by community. You’ve got a choice here, and we ask that if you’re able, you make the choice that will strengthen that connection. Choose indie bookstores.

With love,

Second Star to the Right Books