“Boxed Out” Campaign Installations
The Boxed Out Campaign launched by the American Booksellers Association draws attention to the steep stakes indie bookstores face this coming holiday season. This is especially true in the age of Amazon and the pandemic. There will be installations in New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, DC, and a social media campaign.
Amazon, COVID-19 Contributing Factors to Death of Bookstores
Many independent bookstores will close because of COVID-19. However, the pre-existing condition is listed as Amazon. Brown boxes have become prominent in building lobbies and on porches are “Boxing Out” bookstores. As well as other small businesses across the U.S. This has resulted in the loss of local jobs, local sales tax, community, and support.
“Boxed Out” Installations Points to Challenges
“Allison K Hill, CEO of ABA says people may not realize the cost and consequence of ‘convenience’ shopping until it’s too late. More than one indie bookstore a week has closed since the COVID-19 crisis. She went on to say convenience has a cost and a consequence. There is also a loss of community centers and the loss of opportunities for readers to discover books and connect with other readers in a substantive in-person way.
“Boxed Out” was designed by DCX Growth Accelerator. This campaign’s trademark “Boxed Out” installations are located in New York at McNally Jackson in Manhattan; Café con Libros, Community Bookstore, and Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn; Book Soup in West Hollywood; and Solid State in DC.
“Boxed Out” – A Stern Message to Amazon Book Buyers
Our world is overrunning with ever-present cardboard Amazon boxes. Therefore, DCX has created unique, pointed cardboard covers in response to the proliferation of Amazon boxes. These may piles of card boxes now spill out of now-cardboard buildings. They quip: “If you want Amazon to be the world’s only retailer, keep shopping there,” and cardboard books further bring the campaign message to life: “To Kill A Locally Owned Bookstore.”
