This week we are giving Friday Props to the business model and mission of bookshop.org.

There is no denying that shopping a local bookstore can heighten the experience of discovery. Often the neighborhood bookstore serves a deep role in the community with events that bring people together. 

Independent booksellers provide bigger economic benefits to their local communities than their box-store and online competitors, but they also must still compete for patronage against giant box-stores and online conveniences.

Bookshop.org is a public benefit corporation which means their founding principles include a dedication to the public good. Bookshop believes that bookstores are essential to a healthy culture. They’re where authors can connect with readers, where we discover new writers, where children get hooked on the thrill of reading that can last a lifetime. They’re also anchors for our downtowns and communities.

Bookshop.org provides independent booksellers like our local Bridgeside Books with an online catalog allowing you to support the bookstore instead of Jeff Bezos. They handle the sale, packaging and delivery and the bookshop receives the profit from the sale. It's a win-win for those times when you can't make it in person to browse, but still want to support your local bookstore.

That said, stopping in at Bridgeside Books means you can also check out their LEGOs, games, activities, stickers -- all the trappings of a great book store  -- and also find your way over to Stowe Street Cafe for some good eats, too.