Friday, August 5, 2011

A Sad Story

One of my favorite movies is "You've Got Mail." It's a kind of David and Goliath story that pits the future of "The Shop Around the Corner," a small neighborhood bookstore, against the arrival of the big, bad Fox Books chainstore.  Unfortunately, in this story, David loses. The giant bookstore puts the beloved "Shop Around the Corner" out of business.

That movie was made in 1998.  Ironically, 13 years later it is the giant bookstore chains that are fighting for their survival and losing the battle to the Amazon.coms of the world. And that makes me feel just as sad as I did when Kathleen Kelly walked out of her beloved "Shop Around the Corner" for the last time. 

I love bookstores. I love to browse through row after row of books. I'll pluck a few random volumes from the shelves and take them to a quiet corner where I can sit down and read a few pages to see if they will capture my interest. Looking at the covers of the books is like taking a mini tour through an art gallery.

I nearly always end up in the children's book section for at least a short while. I feel a sense of joy as I look at the stories just waiting to become a child's favorite. And I reminisce about the books that were my favorites or my children's favorites. It is a sweet time.

Recently I received word that my local Borders Bookstore would begin their liquidation sale. Sadly I planned a trip to the store.  I didin't go with the anticipation that I was going to score some sweet deals on books.  I went for the memories.  I went because I don't want to let go of the experience of a real live bookstore.  It doesn't matter which bookstore it is.  It doesn't matter if it is large or small.  What matters is that it is an actual  place that brings me joy and pleasure in a way that I will never experience from browsing for books online.

I don't like to think of the rows of empty shelves that once housed classics and bestsellers alike.  I don't like to imagine the echoes of thousands of stories bouncing off the bare walls of an abandoned bookstore.  I don't want to shop for my books online.  I want my shop around the corner back.

4 comments:

cindy holman said...

I love bookstores too! I've been sad to see all the big ones around here going out of business - but I guess it's signs of the times :(

The Guys said...

Oh, that is sad, Laura. Very sad.

Rachel Winer said...

It sounds like you'll just have to come down to Portland to visit us. Powell's Books is a HUGE bookstore that has just about anything you might be looking for plus they sell used books too. Simon would love to go there with you. :)

sister sheri said...

Agreed! So sad to see this! But I agree with Rachel... at least we have Powell's.