Sharpening the Sword is a weekly column by retailer John Riley of Grasshopper's Comics, a 1,300 square foot comic and games store in Williston Park, New York.  This week, Riley looks at how retailers adapt.

In my last column I discussed changes that Barnes & Noble is making in its stores that move it even further away from its core business of being a bookstore.  To me, that is a strange tactic.  While I understand the association they're making between books, puzzles, board games, and decorations, it’s still diluting the very essence of the business.

I used to love going into the bookstore to browse through books and discover new things, or rekindle interests that I may have forgotten that I have.  But now I don't need to go to their stores as they've eliminated the very thing that attracted me there in the first place.  It would be like us replacing most of our comics with cell phones and wondering why our customers don't feel like coming in to browse anymore.  

Like I said previously, we're not following in their footsteps.  So then what to do?  

Personally, I'm fascinated by the transformation of entertainment retailing.  We've recently watched three pillars of media retailing all be consumed by the fires of disruptive change.  Tower Records and other music retail chains have perished.  Blockbuster is less than 10% of its former glory.  And Borders is on the brink of oblivion.  But rather than disappear, these industries may be reverting back in time to before there were massive chains, the time of the neighborhood book or record store.  Obviously not every independent entertainment retailer is going to survive, but this new environment will probably strengthen some.  

For proof, look no further than the Book Revue in Huntington, New York.  Go and check out their website at www.bookrevue.com.  This store is a famous independent book store, but going into it   you'd be surprised at what you'd find: shelves are mostly handmade and they don't always match, a big selection, but with some very odd categories and even odder books.  So what is so great about this store?  

It's everything they DO that sets them apart.  Let's face it, if you just want a book you can go to Amazon and have it tomorrow.  But this place is an experience, and a very social experience at that.  It starts with the large cafe on one end of the store that opens onto the sidewalk and offers book lovers a place to hang out, grab a coffee or a sandwich, and get together and talk over books, all while attracting people to see what's going on inside.

And that's just a start.  Go to their website and look at the list of events and signings they have every month.  Just a few of their guests have included Brian Johnson (AC/DC), Apollo Ono, Snooki, Chris Jericho, Rick Springfield, J.K. Rowling, and President Clinton.  They've got something going on every week and people go to the store because it becomes an event to attend with a friend, a social outing.    

But wait, there's more!  They also host clubs and groups, monthly writers workshops, book clubs, poetry workshops, kids story and craft times, and seminars.  All of which combines to make the store a focal point in the community.  These people don't just sell books, they sell the experience of books and an opportunity to be part of that culture, that community.

Obviously we can't all operate the same way, but I think there's a tremendous amount to learn there.  Go to their website, see all the things they do that support readers in social ways that an online experience can't, and take the best concepts for yourself.

Okay, next time, how the White Stripes can teach us a lesson about retailing.

The opinions expressed in this column are solely  those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.