Editor’s Note: This is a guest commentary. The opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board.
Independent bookstores are the heart of any community, and in Ithaca, Buffalo Street Books proudly fulfills that role for locals, students and visitors alike.
As an Ithaca College alumni who has made their home in Ithaca, Buffalo Street Books has been a shining beacon of what it means for a local organization to serve its community above all. That’s why, in a time of crisis for the store, it is imperative that the college’s community stand behind this iconic Ithaca institution.
This year, Buffalo Street Books made the pivotal decision to transform from consumer-owned cooperative into a nonprofit. The store is seeking to raise at least $100,000 to support this transition. This money will cover the store’s current losses after years of maximizing private donations and COVID relief funding to make ends meet. It will also help the store relieve its debts and prepare for the transformation ahead.
For many years, Buffalo Street Books has been a center of care in the Ithaca community. Its shelves provide the community with the opportunity to learn about socialism, anti-racism, climate change and, of course, allow us to escape into worlds that explore the vast experiences of humanity.
Those of us who are marginalized have experienced the delight in finding books that reflect our lived experiences on the shelves, and have spoken to the passionate staff members about our favorite reads. Book banning is on the rise in school districts across the United States and Project 2025 aims to further that project by censoring content covering everything from diversity initiatives to sexuality. In this political time, community spaces that provide access to books, like bookstores and libraries, are necessary so that marginalized voices are not silenced.
The role of an independent bookstore is so much more than selling copies of the latest celebrity memoir, or popular “romantasy” book. Independent bookstores are third spaces — spaces outside of home or work — for community members like young families who want a place where their children can roam safely, inclusive groups who want to run book or game clubs in an accepting environment or folks who need a secure place to sit down, away from the cold, for a few hours in the Ithaca winters.
Others may have experienced Buffalo Street Books as a collaborator to other local organizations such as Southside Community Center. Or maybe you are an Ithaca College student who interned there with the writing department. Or perhaps a professor who is a published writer and artist, whose book is on the store’s very shelves. Maybe you have attended the Ithaca Is Books festival, run by the store and its partners, which frequently brings inspiring authors and artists to the area.
These community touch points go beyond that of any regular independent bookstore. For most stores, the first priority is selling books and making a profit. For Buffalo Street Books, the mission is to serve the community. To create opportunities for literacy, for transformation, for love and acceptance.
Running a small independent bookstore is a losing game for many, with yearly profits before taxes averaging around 1–4% according to the American Booksellers Association, if the store is profitable at all. Many private store owners circumvent this by paying themselves salaries below living wage, having a very small staff and choosing what to order primarily based on sales rather than community need.
Buffalo Street Books is different. The store became a co-op because the community wanted to save it. Ithacans recognized that we needed a store whose mission was serving those in the community who deserve a place that speaks to their needs in literacy and the arts, not another place where profit has to come before the people.
When Buffalo Street Books becomes a nonprofit, it will allow the organization to make money outside of the challenges of pure bookselling. Grant funding will become available and regular donations and membership can be more actively cultivated since they are a key part of the nonprofit model. This will allow the store to become financially sustainable.
As members of the college’s community, we have the wonderful privilege of being able to give back to the community that supports us.
One of the easiest ways we can do that is by offering what we can to places like Buffalo Street Books. Whether it’s signing up for a membership, boosting their calls to action on social media or stopping into the store for an event or purchase, every action helps.
Even if you don’t plan on making Ithaca your forever home, think of how beautiful it will be to come back for a visit and see Buffalo Street Books, still there, a glorious testament to the resilience and passion of the people of Ithaca.
