You may remember this post where I bemoaned the death of the only bookstore left in my hometown. Over the past couple weeks since the announcement of Waldenbooks's closing, I've managed to find the time to visit Waldenbooks a few times in the past weeks. I will admit I felt like a bit of a vulture as I almost gleefully took advantage of the deep discounts being offered.Tomorrow is Waldenbooks's last day. Unfortunately, I'll be in Eureka all day with my speech team. Instead, I made one final visit to Waldenbooks today. And yes, I took advantage of the discounts and walked out of the store with a bag of books -- including FINALLY buying a copy of Ann Patchett's Bel Canto. (That book must hold the record for being left behind more than any other book when I've gone to a bookstore and had to slim down the pile I inevitably accumulate as I journey amongst the shelves. Left behind no more!)
I admit I felt a little teary as I walked out the door and as I walked through the nearly deserted corridors of the mall, remembering the hours my sis and I spent wandering through the mall, the fun and adventures we would have, and I knew that the closing of Waldenbooks (the last of our old haunts) was truly the closing of that particular volume of my life.
1 comment:
And I remember a phase in which I despised the big, corporate book stores as they took over and closed down all the cute little indie book stores. (Act One bookstore in Chicago!) Amazing how quickly the consumer environment changes. First, the town square went away, replaced by the mall. Now, the mall fades into oblivion as online stores devour them. Hard to imagine feeling so sad if, someday, Amazon gets trumped by some (as yet) unknown entity.
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