One of the most impulsive purchases I ever made occurred during my freshman year of college. That was a year of many irrational purchases. When you’re a poor student, just about anything you buy besides textbooks and ramen is unnecessary, but I digress.
For many reasons, I needed a wardrobe update. I was just returning from a two-year volunteer missionary experience in New Zealand with seven white shirts, seven pairs of dress slacks, and not much else. A shopping spree was in order, though I mostly blew my money on a pair of leather boots, the kind that make a man look like he could do manual labor but chooses not to, and a few button-up shirts.
For some reason, I also felt the need to broadcast my literary taste, and in the same whirlwind of online shopping, I bought a blue, long-sleeve pullover with the cover of The Great Gatsby on the front. Unfortunately, the headhole was way too big and it meant I either showed off my collarbones or a few inches of whatever shirt I wore underneath. I should have returned it, yet it’s still in my closet, worn but once a year at most. I maintain that it’s pretty cool, though I suppose there aren’t a lot of occasions to wear an ill-fitting Gatsby sweater
I bought the sweater from an online retailer called Out of Print. Their catalog of t-shirts, sweaters, totes, socks, mugs, and pins all feature book covers or characters. Or at least it used to. Now, their bestsellers are more generic with little slogans like “Books are my Happy Place” and “Read Banned Books” on the front. It’s the kind of stuff that appears in your search results when you type “gifts for people who like books”.
I had kind of forgotten Out of Print until I started visiting more bookstores, particularly in new and independent bookstores. Now I see it everywhere. It’s among the most ubiquitous merchandise in bookstores, second only to Moleskine notebooks.
This is a problem only someone who visits a lot of bookstores might have, but I’m getting a little tired of seeing Out of Print merch wherever I go. I get that bookstores need every means necessary to turn a profit and stay afloat. Out of Print is a great partner in that they make really fun clothing.
Still, it begins to feel like Out of Print is like an obligatory offering, even a stale, outsourced bit of creativity.
I wonder, too, how many people really buy their stuff, especially the more generic garb you that isn’t about a specific book? It must be enough (the brand was even acquired by Penguin Random House back in 2017).
I just don’t think people who read a lot of books broadcast it so blatantly as to wear a t-shirt that says “A well-read woman is a dangerous creature”. Maybe I’m wrong.
What kind of merch do I like to see in a bookstore? Branded merch is great. I’d rather wear a shirt or hat with the name of a bookstore on it than a hat that says “Book Nerd”. Local merch is always good, something that features artists and makers from the area.
Of course, if you want to get a booklover a gift this season, just start with a book.
Bookstores
This month, I’m highlighting two bookstores with great merchandise.
Lost City Books took over the location of Idle Time Books in 2019. Whoever did the redesign and interior decorating did a great job. The store has a timeless feel, like it’s been around for a while, but also modern, with darkly painted walls and bright hanging lights…. read more
Second Story Books Warehouse Store
The store has an enormous footprint. After walking up the steps into the warehouse (literally a warehouse, sometimes the industrial bay doors are open to let in some fresh air), you’re greeted with rows of books and a tall ceiling that disappears into behind fluorescent lights. There are so many books that many shelves are stacked two deep and require a step ladder to reach the highest shelves... read more