Brick and Mortar
Dear World,
Like many 30 somethings, I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I despise that you sometimes need a Ph.D. to just answer the phone. But I love the convenience that it gives a busy working mom like myself.
For instance, I’ve grown to love what it has done to my reading life. I have a Nook and I’m in love with it. It is my bookstore from my bed. It allows for a bibliophile like myself to literally be the little old lady who lived with her books. But not really, because it’s all on my Nook; even in the cloud.
I could go on and on for my love of my Nook. And although it has been life changing for my reading life, I still remember, as my 10 year old says, ‘the olden days’.
There’s nothing like a book. A physical handheld work of art. The smell of it, the look of it, from cover to cover. You don’t get that feeling with a Nook.
To get my retro fix I go to my local Barnes and Noble Booksellers and take it all in. The rows of books, the obscure magazines, the smell of coffee brewing, it is hugely inspiring and it all reminds me of a time when the big box store was a novel idea.
Remember You’ve got Mail, the Tom Hanks, and Meg Ryan Rom Com? It villainized the Barnes and Nobles type establishments, making it the killer of the mom and pop size booksellers. It’s no wonder it’s my favorite movie because it highlighted, although with disgust, the beauty and lore of the big box bookseller. I mean not for nothing, but it helped shut down an establishment that had been open for decades. You don’t do that if you’re not something special.
But that new feeling has worn off. One of my favorite haunts, Borders, has been bankrupt and closed for years. And every few months, my first bookstore love, Barnes and Noble, is threatened with a shutdown. All because of the new novelty of e-readers. And although I have moved on with my new digital toy, I still remember my first love. My first spark of inspiration. Still able to give me a jolt of motivation after all these years.
Regards,
Sharita
