The closing of Carriage House Book Shop means the loss of a Richmond mainstay. It also means changes for VCU students and faculty.
“I feel we gave good service to faculty and students and ultimately they’re the ones losing out,” Birthe Christensen, owner of Carriage House, said.
Carriage House, which has been in business for 33 years, closed its doors Oct. 14-for good. Christensen, whose daughter has managed the store for the past eight years, said sales were just not high enough this fall.
“We were hoping this fall would work itself out, but it was a disaster (and) we sold way too few books,” she said.
Christensen also said that part of the decline in sales was due to a VCU policy. Several years ago VCU instituted a policy that required faculty to provide textbook-adoption information to the VCU e2 Bookstore.
Dan McDonald, assistant director of business services, stated in an e-mail that the VCU store is obligated to share adoption information. He also stated that faculty members could still provide similar information to other bookstores.
“This practice is not done to minimize competition,” McDonald stated in the e-mail.
In fact McDonald indicated that the policy helps competition, “ensuring the information will be available to all retailers.”
But for Christensen the policy was detrimental.
“It started out slow, but our business has been dropping steadily since then,” she said.
McDonald also cited a change in Virginia law that requires universities to post textbook information online as soon as it’s available. He stated textbook information can be obtained via the VCU Web site and would also be beneficial to local booksellers.
Still, changes to VCU policy and Virginia law have had disadvantageous affects on local bookstores.
Ernest Mooney, owner of the Virginia Book Company, said the change in policy and law was what led to the demise of Carriage House and his company is certainly saddened by the loss of the store.
“We’re sorry to see Carriage House go,” Mooney said. “We did not consider them our competition and we thought they really lent a special quality to the area, but now it’s us duking it out against the efollet store – and we’re prepared.”
Christian Campbell, the Virginia Book Company store manger, echoed similar sentiments. He said the stores were not competing, but instead they complimented each other.
“We felt like the two bookstores handled different niches,” he said.
Campbell also agrees the policy set forth by VCU hurts local bookstore business and said it is an effort to shut out competition and gives the VCU Bookstore an advantage.
Both Mooney and Campbell feel that the closing of Carriage House will impact students. By eliminating the competition that is necessary for students to get the best deals and the best customer service.
“The whole thing hurts the students more than anything,” Campbell said.
Mooney even said he thinks all colleges should have a minimum of two bookstores on campus because the competition truly benefits the students.
As Christensen sorted through books and packed boxes last week, she said she would like to get out quickly, hopefully by Thanksgiving.
“I have a very mixed feelings, some sadness, some measure of anger, and in some ways a sense of relief.”