The publishing industry took a hit recently when Borders Group Inc., the country’s second-largest book retailer, announced it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and plans to close 200 of its stores nationwide within the coming weeks. But La Jolla residents don’t have to worry about their local independent bookstores going anywhere, as the unique business models and personalized customer experiences of Warwick’s and D.G. Wills Books provide stability during a time of economic recession. Warwick’s, the country’s oldest family-owned and operated bookstore, has been open since 1896. A La Jolla institution, Warwick’s is a one-stop shop offering everything from books, office supplies, stationery, photo albums, frames and gift wrap. “We’re very passionate about the community and are very involved in several community fundraisers and endeavors,” said Adrian Newell, Warwick’s book buyer. “In this economic environment, big superstores don’t work. We’re a much smaller operation, which allows us to be nimble and react quickly to change. I’m sure some of the Borders stores are stuck in leases for 30,000- to 40,000-square-foot spaces. For us, everything is done right here in the store. In this case, small is beautiful.” In most industries, businesses celebrate losing a competitor with the hopes of ultimately growing their own business. Having great fear of unreturned inventory, publishers are unsettled about how Borders’ bankruptcy will affect them and what it will mean to have Barnes & Noble monopolize the industry. “Any time a bookstore closes it’s a bad thing,” said Newell. “It affects the entire publishing industry by having a trickle-down affect. Borders has a great reputation for being huge literary supporters. I’m afraid we may see an effect on what’s ultimately published, and I’m scared for how it may hurt smaller publishers as well.” Not giving up the fight just yet, Borders is restructuring itself to see if it can come out on the other side of bankruptcy. “Borders is focused on putting in place our business plan and working with creditors,” said Mary Davis, public relations manager of Borders Group Inc., headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich. “We’re developing our plan of reorganization and repositioning Borders to emerge from the Chapter 11 as a strong and vibrant bookseller, to the benefit of readers and the publishing industry as a whole.” Another La Jolla gem, D.G. Wills Books houses an enormous collection of new and used scholarly books. “D.G. Wills Books looks like a 19th-century Cracker Barrel Old Country Store/hardware store that you might see in an old John Ford western,” said Dennis Wills, the store’s owner. “We tend to follow the model used by Powell’s Books in Portland, Ore., as well as Blackwell’s in Oxford, England: mixing new, used and antiquarian books together.” Located across the street from one another, Warwick’s and D.G. Wills use their close proximities to their advantage. They have friendly relations and often drive customers to one another. “We are blessed to share with our good friends at Warwick’s up the street,” said Wills. “We are on the phone with each other daily, checking on the availability of titles for customers. If there is an important new book on almost any subject, Warwick’s is likely to have it if we don’t. Conversely, if someone needs one or five different translations of Homer, Plato, Cicero or Dante, or a particular edition of a Shakespeare play, we may be more likely to have that in our ‘emergency Shakespeare section’ in the warehouse.” Filling the niche of more academic titles, Wills said La Jolla is the ideal community for his target audience. “We are lucky to be located in this particular region of the country, as it contains a perhaps unmatched cluster of academic resources,” said Wills, “which bring in talented scientists from around the world who buy books.” Both stores draw in a crowd by offering in-store events, author signings and lectures. Warwick’s (warwicks.indiebound.com) averages between two and four events per week, and will soon add Meredith Baxter, Amy Finley, Candace Bushnell and Geraldine Brooks to its impressive list of celebrity author appearances. D.G. Wills (www.dgwillsbooks.com) will soon host notable scholars Richard Feynman and Rae Armantrout, as well as actress Mary McDonough.