The Pendulum of F.C.’s Independent Bookstore

BY PHEBE FAHMY FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

One More Page Books (OMP) brings life to the minds of readers. A lively bookshop, the independent bookstore acts as a community center, connecting people and serving as a place of discovery for those looking to broaden their reading horizons. Its shelves are lined with a broad range of books, and its staff consists of welcoming workers looking to greet customers. Known for their clever Post-Its filled with book blurbs, One More Page Books is a gem of a once-struggling bookstore.

Struggling financially with fixing lights, air conditioning and with plumbing maintenance, Eileen McGervey — owner of One More Page Books — recently reached out to the community for help. Her GoFundMe wrote of rising rent, being slammed with unexpected expenditures and the tiny profit margin for small businesses. Her words echoed the struggles of all small independent bookstores in a digitally dominant world.

What the community understood, however, was that OMP creates an experience that cannot be mimicked online. Its presence is irreplaceable and a remarkable resource to the public. A bighearted tribe, the Falls Church community responded to McGervey’s request, donating $35,000 to the bookstore’s GoFundMe within a week.

“I was hopeful, but I thought it would take a while,” McGervey said. “But I remember in my old life, as I call it, someone telling me that you have to ask if you need help, and that’s a hard thing to do. It’s very humbling. We were all completely overwhelmed that it happened so quickly.”

One More Page Books is a prime example of the swinging pendulum of independent bookstores. Autonomous bookstores like OMP are attempting to ascend with the growing number of people that are uncomfortable in a world devoid of connection. According to McGervey, as a small independent bookstore, OMP serves to provide book recommendations and be a place of discovery. It hosts book