How a Local Bookstore Used a Rare-First Model to Beat Amazon

Small Business Success with Fexingo: Local Companies, Main Street Stories, and Community Commerce · Jul 13, 2026 · 8m · transcript

In Episode 111 of Small Business Success with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of The Last Word, an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that thrives by selling rare and signed first editions. Owner Sarah Mitchell explains how she turned Amazon's weakness—the lack of curation and personalized discovery—into her competitive edge. The episode follows how she sources limited runs, builds relationships with small publishers, and creates a membership program where subscribers get first dibs on rare arrivals. Lucas shares data on the indie bookstore resurgence: sales up 12%…