It is not the book collection. It is not the interior decoration. It is not even the price. There is something in the Indigo bookstores that compels me to buy something. I never bother to visit amazon.com or GoodReads app when I am at the store. So, what is it that keeps me revisiting the store, whether in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal or Waterloo. It took me multiple visits to understand that Indigo is about understanding "Readers" and "Reading". It is not a knowledge repository, nor a collection of books on different topics like Barnes and Noble, nor a place to buy books cheaply like amazon.com. Reading is delving into another world, whether fictional or real, and forgeting the present. Indigo gets it and hence the store is designed accordingly. What does a reader need:
- a book
- a bookshelf that looks personal
- a coffee shop
- a coffee cup synergizing reading
- a blanket when you read
- a bookholder
- candles
- a notebook
- a reading journal
- comfy clothes
They have it all!
I feel at home when I am in the Indigo bookstore. It is personal. It is the place where I imagine a world of reading. It is for book lovers. I can spend several hours exploring the store. Indigo knows readers and their mindset. Always compelled to buy. And I always do. Books are one's good friends and Indigo is the place where I find them.