Despite an immense increase in eBook sales, Grounds for Thought owner Kelly Wicks said he is not concerned.
"Grounds for Thought offers a lot to the community. The bookstore is just part of it. Plus, we provide used books, which are a totally different market than new books," Wicks said.
Wicks also said the transition from books to eBooks is much different than other technological shifts.
"When pagers went to cell phones, pagers were abandoned completely. But what we're seeing here is much different. People come in with both eBooks and physical books," Wicks said.
According to Wicks, some books will never disappear.
"Coffee table books and other oversize books will never disappear because they can't be enjoyed digitally," Wicks said.
University Professor Thomas Rosenkranz tapped away at his iPod and enjoyed a cup of coffee at Grounds for Thought. He is confident that the thousands of books lining Grounds for Thought will soon vanish.
"Within the next 50 years, books will go away. Everything is digitized these days. Google is digitizing as we speak," Rosenkranz said. "Books are extremely expensive to make and they weigh a lot. It's just too costly when digitization is feasible."
With the rapid transformation of books from paper to digital, reports indicate a fleeting lifespan for the page-turning media. The Association of American Publishers reported that eBooks outsold their print counterparts during the month of February, with eBook sales coming to $90-mil and paperback sales coming to $81-mil. Likewise, Amazon reported that Kindles were significantly outperforming paperbacks.
Liz Ela, a 2010 University graduate and her former roommate Hilary Bush, a senior at the University, are strong supporters of the physical book instead of the eBook, which is why Wicks is keeping them.
"Lots of people like the physical book," Ela said. "It's a novelty. And personally, I hate looking at a screen."
Ela said she's been going to Grounds for Thought for five years.
"I still come here all of the time, at least once or twice a week," Ela said. "When I went to the University, I came a lot to study for midterms and finals."
She said she prefers Grounds for Thought to the Jerome Library.
"The quiet floor at the library is too quiet," Ela said, laughing. "I'm afraid to get yelled at for turning a page too loudly."
Bush and Ela don't only utilize Grounds for Thought to study and read. Both love the French language, and they said the book selection is perfect for them.
"The foreign book selection is amazing. We found a Goosebumps novel in French," Bush said. "It was so cool."
According to Wicks, Grounds for Thought is the largest used bookstore between Columbus and Ann Arbor with an offering of 170,000 used books.
Ela has been reading a copy of "Les Miserables" from Grounds for Thought for three years, and she said she likes to see exactly what page she is on.
"I like to know how far I am, which you can't do on an iPad or Kindle," Ela said. "It's taking me forever to read Les Miserables, and over the years it's been fun to keep track."
Bush echoed Ela's desire to keep track of her progress with a book.
"I feel accomplished when I finish a big book. I like to look at it and know I read the whole thing," Bush said.
Bush added a secret book fascination.
"You know, I love to smell of the pages in a book," Bush said, laughing. "It's true!"
Traditional book readers will never discard this media, even though the trend is headed in the digital direction. Whether digitization occurs or not, Kelly is sure Grounds for Thought won't go away.
"People like to come here to socialize, play board games, and just people watch. These are basic elements that won't go away with time," Kelly said.
Kelly is excited about two other projects that will help stimulate Grounds for Thought in the future. He said these projects bring in sales customers don't see.
"We have a roasting company which provides the coffee across Bowling Green. Everywhere from Sam B's to the Union uses our coffee. We also ship coffee all over the world to graduated students who have fallen in love with Grounds. That helps move the company along," Kelly said.
Kelly also has a project that he does primarily for fun, but it nonetheless helps the business.
"In addition, we run a record company. It's more for enjoyment than anything else. Grounds for Thought gives us the opportunity to experiment and try new things," Kelly said.
Despite his iPad and digital persuasion, Rosenkranz plans to hang out at Grounds for Thought on future Sunday mornings.
"It's a gathering spot that doesn't thrive on the books," Rosenkranz said. "Some places are going out of business, but this place is based on community. Grounds is simply a great place to be."
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