Kimberly Thorpe exposes some significant structural flaws at New York’s legendary independent book store in her cover story in the current issue of the New York Press.
Allegations of racism and unfair labor practices abound with much of the heat being focused on Nancy Bass Wyden, the daughter of longtime Strand owner Fred Bass and wife of Oregon senator Ron Wyden, who interestingly enough is “widely known for his impassioned support of equal opportunity in the workplace.”
Most people interviewed for the piece refused to give their name for fear of retaliation though all believe “that the problems at the Strand stemmed from a single source: Nancy Bass Wyden. They believe she has worked harder than anyone to transform the Strand from an intellectual oasis to a profit-producing machine.”
Before coming home to help her dad Bass Wyden got her MBA from the University of Wisconsin and spent three years working at Exxon honing her corporate skills. Going from working for a giant oil company to running a giant independent book store is alone a recipe for disaster.
“They focus more on making money than on the enjoyment of running a bookstore,” said Trexler Chisholm, 26, who works in the rare books room on the third floor.
One of Bass Wyden’s major initiatives was to ramp up the Strands books by the yard program, the “selling of books arranged decoratively on shelves to the rich and famous,” which has nothing to do with books and everything to do with interior design. It just doesn’t seem to be about the books anymore.
Yes, profits are up at the Starnd and business is good but those “profits stem from a salary structure that almost seems to push employees out the door.”
Is there a point when a bookstore becomes too big to remain truly independent? Does size matter? Can there be a large independent book store with a Costco-style approach to their employees?