ABFAS is Indie Bound!

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all stores are not created equal..."

These words belong to a newly drafted document, "The Declaration of Independents". The American Booksellers Association, or ABA, the national trade association for independent booksellers is banding together with their Independents in calling for the unchaining of America with a new initiative called IndieBound.

Did you know that when you shop at an independent vs. a chain store, 60% more money remains in the community? Everyone benefits - local schools, local economies... IndieBound is exciting because it's a way of reaching into the community. This concept may start with your local independent bookstore, but it moves out into our local community, encompasses other independently owned businesses and increases awareness.

Support of local independents is a reminder that "we must celebrate the powers that make us unique". We're all in this together, and as for A Book for All Seasons, we're proud to beIndieBound!

The Declaration of Independents:

When in the course of events it becomes necessary for individuals to denounce the corporate bands which threaten to homogenize our cities and our souls, we must celebrate the powers that make us unique and declare the causes which compel us to remain independent.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all stores are not created equal, that some are endowed by their owners, their staff, and their communities with certain incomparable heights, that among these are Personality, Purpose and Passion. The history of the present indies is a history of experiences and excitement, which we will continue to establish as we set our sights on a more unconstrained state. To prove this, let's bring each other along and submit our own experiences to an unchained world.

We, therefore, as Kindred Spirits of IndieBound, in the name of our convictions, do publish and declare that these united minds are, and darn well ought to be, Free Thinkers and Independent Souls, that we are linked by the passions that differentiate us, that we seek out soul mates to share our excitement. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the strength of our identities, we respectively and mutually pledge to lead the way as we all declare that we are IndieBound!

IndieBound! IndieBound! IndieBound! IndieBound! IndieBound! IndieBound! IndieBound!