Famed Michigan bookstore to close its doors

Founded in 1980, the Shaman Drum Bookshop in Ann Arbor Michigan will close its doors forever on June 30. In a message at the store’s website, owner Karl Pohrt wrote “Despite a first rate staff, a fiercely loyal core of customers, a very decent landlord and my own commitment to the community of arts and letters in Ann Arbor, it is clear to me that the bookshop is not a sustainable business.” The gentlemanly Pohrt paid tribute to fellow independent bookstores such as Crazy Wisdom and West Side Books in Ann Arbor that may continue to serve the book hungry community of one of the most significant university towns in the country. Pohrt said that Ann Arbor “continues to be an excellent book town” and called upon the community to support the remaining independent bookstores. The helpful and knowledgeable staff at Shaman Drum will be missed by their many customers.

Shaman Drum opened up in a space once occupied by another independent book seller – Paideia – just a block away from the campus of the University of Michigan. It has long provided books used in upper division courses at the University in such disciplines as religious studies, anthropology, and political thought. Since 1980, Shaman Drum expanded its floor space and its offerings and became a cultural institution in a community enlivened by scholars of different disciplines. Ann Arbor was also the springboard for Border’s Books, which went on to be a national chain.

The economic downturn began to affect Shaman Drum in September 2008, while the practice of students of buying books online also affected textbook sales. Pohrt was philosophical about the loss of business, saying “That’s the way that history’s tipping,” while noting last major revolution in the literary world was the invention of the printing press. More and more students are buying books online through outlets such as UBook, an online book exchange where professors post their reading lists on CTools. Students can there buy, sell and trade texts through the exchange system at cheaper prices. Porht said that the entire book industry is going through a digitalization revolution and that the University of Michigan will be in the vanguard.

“I don’t think this is a bad policy, but in effect what it does is it’s going to drive out all of the businesses around the University that specialize in textbooks,” Pohrt said. What’s looming on the horizon is the rise of electronic books,” he said. “I think those are going to especially impact the textbook industry.”

After the store’s closure, Pohrt will go on to become the CEO of the Great Lakes Literary Arts Center in Ann Arbor. Non-profit status for the GLLAC is being negotiated with the Internal Revenue Service while it is being decoupled from the bookstore. According to the store’s website, the GLLAC will serve to develop new writers, promote reading and literature and the love of books. Writers’ workshops and lecture series are planned.

Info: ShamanDrum.com