The article is describing the difficulties Subterranean Books and the other bookstores are dealing with and the way they try to organize together to find ways to thrive in this difficult environment.
Unfortunately, the difficulty environment is not unique just to St. Louis, MI, but is (almost) everywhere when it comes to bookstores, independent ones as well the big chains. Therefore this article on the Riverfront Times can be seen as a unique and frank picture of bookstores in general, especially indie ones. Beyond that, it is showing the value of a cooperative effort to solve problems, and the unique spirit of bookstore owners that might be their best weapon in the war on their future.
This is a long article, but if you're a book lover, it worth every minute of your time! You can find it at http://alturl.com/k368j.
Subterranean Books is taking part in our bookstore program, which means that customers at the store can plant a tree for every book they buy there and receive our sticker at the counter!