> And they couldn't sell anything in addition to books?
They do that. In the bookselling business, these are called "sidelines". Borderlands has several, including postcards, greeting cards, small gifts, journals, local art, etc. They've tried many others as well that haven't been profitable for whatever reason (which they then have to eat the cost of.) New sidelines are a gamble for that reason.
> Or change their selection to reduce their overhead?
This is an oversimplification, but selection doesn't involve overhead in the usual sense because unsold books can be returned to the publisher. Anyway, their focus on sci-fi/fantasy and mystery books is a large part of what makes them special and beloved, rather than just another generalist bookstore.
> Or buy/sell used books?
They do that.
> I don't know, I'm not them. But "we can't raise those prices, and we couldn't lower our expenses" always sounds like a bit of a copout.
I've been to several of their sponsor meetings and spoken with the owner on a few occasions. Alan is very open and transparent about the bookstore's finances. If I recall correctly, because of the way publishers eat of the cost of unsold books, the store's expenses are dominated by labor and rent in that order (with utilities and credit card processing fees a distant 3rd and 4th). Everything else is basically rounding errors in the store budget. It's like trying to cut the Federal Budget without touching healthcare entitlements or defense - there's no way to make a meaningful dent. See also: Amdahl's Law.
When labor makes up about half of your costs, changes to the minimum wage affect you disproportionately compared to many other kinds of business.
And they couldn't sell anything in addition to books? Or change their selection to reduce their overhead? Or buy/sell used books?
I don't know, I'm not them. But "we can't raise those prices, and we couldn't lower our expenses" always sounds like a bit of a copout.