BROOKLINE- 09/24/08

BROOKLINE, Mass. - Every year, Brookline Booksmith competes against its rival bookstore in Harvard square for Boston Magazine’s “Best of Boston: Books” title. Its welcoming atmosphere in Coolidge Corner competes with Harvard Book Store’s presence in the heart of Cambridge, but what makes Brookline Booksmith a seven-time title-holder is the eccentricity of its customers and the town where they live.
When Lori Kauffman, Brookline Booksmith book buyer describes her customers, she thinks of “someone very intelligent, engaged with ideas…someone who has strong opinions who isn’t afraid to share them.” Indeed, Brookline is home to two political leaders such as former President John F. Kennedy and 1988 democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis; witty late night talk show host Conan O’Brien and renowned author of Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer. Today, Brookline continues to produce a legacy of strong minds, and is one of the most educated and affluent towns in Eastern Massachusetts.

Located about four miles from downtown Boston, Brookline preserves the image of a quaint American town from the 60s with neon lights glowing from the Coolidge Corner Theatre and students urging people who pass by to vote in the upcoming elections. Amidst the quaint Victorian brownstones, Zagat-rated restaurants and peaceful green parks, there are 55,000-plus residents in Brookline, according to the most recent Massachusetts Department of Revenue report. A 2000 Census Bureau report says that almost 75 percent of these residents have jobs in management and professional occupations, and earn a median income of about $66,700 a year; about $25,000 more than the average American. The number of registered voters also surpasses that of neighboring towns; approximately 80 percent of Brookliners are registered to vote, compared to Dedham and Newton, whose voter participation lies at around 60 percent, according to 2006 Division of Local Services report."

“Our readers are incredibly opinionated and spirited,” exclaims Kauffman as she explains her book-buying thought process when she chooses books to buy for Brookline Booksmith. “Books on medicine do very well here…probably because we have a lot of doctors who work and live close to the medical center in Longwood,” Kauffman says. “Our customers tend to get a lot of their [book] news from National Public Radio and from the New York Times…and very often we’ll see an increased demand for those titles.”

Jim Conley, a resident and former contributor to the Brookline TAB, is a part-time professor at Emerson College. At night, he teaches graduate programs in writing for marketing, but during the day, Conley dedicates his time to observing and reporting about Brookline’s town government activities on his news blog, “On Brookline”. Conley covered cronyism issues within the town government when he wrote for the Brookline TAB, and continues to exert pressure on the Selectmen to make the town government’s actions more transparent to its residents.

Conley argues that he sees the town government creating a dichotomy between different parts of Brookline. He argues that there is a distinct socioeconomic line between North and South Brookline, and that the government meets the 10 percent low-income property accommodation quota by pushing these developments into North Brookline. “There are two Brooklines; the North and the South. In the South, you’ve got the one-family houses, and the North where all the apartments are.” Conley asserts that “there’s a conflict of interest between the selectmen and the people; the town government doesn’t want to see the low-income housing in their area.”

Jesse Mermell, Brookline Selectwoman says that currently, the town government’s main concern is maintaining financial management and efficiency. A lover of Brookline’s neighborly feel and its urban atmosphere amongst the myriad of amenity shops throughout the area, Mermell says that Brookline “has the best of both worlds.” As a student, Mermell moved to Brookline after she transferred to Boston College in Chestnut Hill, where she received a degree in political science. After serving on the Democratic State Committee, Mermell was elected in May 2001 as Brookline’s only Selectwoman. Mermell says she also enjoys the area where she works in the Town Hall, which is near another cultural hub called Brookline Village, in South Brookline. Mermell resolves that “the most important thing is to live up to the standards that we promised our voters,” as she wants to ensure that Brookline’s town developmental budget plans are managed.

The recent downfall in Wall Street may have been the culprit in casting a shadow on Brookline, where property values are high. According to the Brookline assessor’s office, the median price of a single-home in Brookline was $1,023,550; approximately five times the national median price of $239,000. However, the 2008 median price for a single-family Brookline home suffered a $50,000 drop at $986,900.
“I think that right now, Brookline is in the same situation as many towns across America,” assesses Mermell about the housing market. She says “it’s a tough time for everybody.

Recently, for the first time in about 14 years, voters approved an override, which increased property taxes above 2.5 percent in an effort to help home sellers and investors, according to Brookline’s Deputy Town Administrator Sean Cronin. Cronin oversees one of the town government’s most recent establishments, the Efficiency Initiative Committee, which currently manages Brookline’s public safety staffing, town maintenance and consolidation. Although Cronin lives outside of Brookline, he is involved in many government committees and says that the town is “a great working place.”

Despite his skepticism towards the town government, Conley seems hopeful of Cronin’s Runkle School initiative, which organizes the development, construction and renovation for the Runkle School. “The general philosophy of education is pretty good,” says Conley. “On the whole, the schools do a good job in spite of themselves.”

While Kauffman isn’t sure whether the effects of the economy have impact on Brookline Booksmith customers, she’s confident that the book industry will not suffer an immediate bust. She also admitted that the Brookline Booksmith clientele tend to be customers with high salaries in professional fields, so their income is less-likely to fluctuate with the economy. “General wisdom says that books are more recession proof than other luxuries because in relative terms, books are more expensive but they’re not at the same price as an airplane ticket or an opera seat.”

Adam Conway, employee of New England Comics seems to affirm Kauffman’s hypothesis on book sales. He suggests that if there’s a change in sales, it’s in the genre or title of comic book. “Ten percent of all sales went to trade paperbacks [publications of series like Batman or X-Men] after Dark Knight,” Conway explained. Conway also observed that customers have gravitated towards mini-series, which read like T.V. show scripts that delve into themes concerning heroism and moral ambiguity. “With the war in Iraq and things like that going on, all of us need to see that ‘moral line’ in uncertain times. Like Obama’s popularity, for example; people want freshness.”


Conway, an Emerson College graduate moved back to Boston after spending a year at his home in Ohio. “I moved back because I really liked the city,” said Conway as he explained that he enjoys the comfort and convenience that Brookline offers. “I’m a vegan and there’s lots of place to eat in Coolidge, so that’s good.” Conway also values the accessibility to the city. “I really liked the city [Boston] and how it’s not too overwhelming like New York. Brookline is kind of like the center of the star of where I need to go.”

Photos by Yumi Araki.