Behind the Scenes of Barnes and Noble
Is it just me, or do you like to smell books? That is what Barnes and Noble is all about. Imagine waking up on a Sunday, heading over to your local Barnes and Noble with your family. Each of your family members with different tastes can wander off into their own isle and get lost in a section that appeals to them specifically. What more could you possibly want out of an establishment. Being huge while personable is how these stores still manage to be charming. I think that if I could I’d pack a bag and move there.
While some people may prefer thrifting books or shopping at a local non chain store, there is a certain charm to a Barnes and Noble even if it is a corporation. Each one still has its own quirks and is worth checking out. Some places that are not as picturesque as New York city or some movie like small town, all the people have is a Barnes and Noble. Instead of saying to ‘make the best of it’, these people should embrace the fact that reading is important to everyone and that having the privilege to be close enough to a Barnes and Noble should be considered a blessing.
Barnes and Noble was not always a constant in my life, I have always found myself going back to it. Being from Pennsylvania and moving to the Philadelphia area for college was already a familiar place for me. However, I had yet to discover there were not one, but two Barnes and Noble within twenty minutes right outside of Philadelphia. Both stores are equal distances so I began wondering how I should choose which one to put my money into. I also want to explore the reviews of the closed Rittenhouse Barnes and Noble in Philadelphia. This would be interesting because it was a draw to the locals for a long time and now that it has closed, it may affect the people in the surrounding area. This is why I decided to observe which has better vibes according to my preferences. This will help other people in this area who read books, but aren’t sure where to go to do so. It will help promote the Philadelphia area and draw in people who seek knowledge. Each shall receive an award for how impressives its status is in one area this can include but is not limited to; employee interactions, coffee taste, aesthetically pleasing sections, and overall vibes.
This is important because it will help to show that Barnes and Noble is reliable. When you go to a thrift store you may not find what you are looking for or may be disappointed by the quality. While Barnes and Noble is a huge corporation, they each still have their character and personalities that I hope to uncover. Just because they may all share the same name does not mean they are all the same and there is a value in understanding that which is what I hope to discover and recognize.
Plymouth meeting Barnes and Noble was the first location that I knew of in the area. I found a bit of nostalgia here. Google reviews gives this location a 4.6/5 stars. The general consensus of people is that it has a great selection of books. I have had this experience there, including when I went for a specific book for my Representations of the Holocaust class. This helps to promote the idea that ordinary people can come here and get something out of it. Ordinary people are able to access literature and history. This helps to promote an enlightened society which is something that was built into the foundations of the country. The Barnes and Noble corporation supports the idea of Enlightenment and I found it clear here in the Plymouth meeting Barnes and Noble. I interviewed my roommate Tessa on this topic. She has an insider perspective on this since she too took the Representations of the Holocaust class and needed this book as well. In response to my question regarding her thoughts on this location, Tessa said, “I found the employees super helpful when looking for the book. They pointed us in the right direction and were pleasant and friendly. I would rate my experience a 5/5.” After speaking with Tessa, it is clear that the reliability of the store having something in stock surrounding important time periods in history such as World War II and the Holocaust is a high probability. This promotes the idea of learning that is prevalent in American society.
Montgomery square Barnes and Noble was the one that I discovered second. Upon arrival, I was overwhelmed with my favorite smell, books. Like most Barnes and Noble there are many tables that are promoting the most recent popular books. I did not fall captive to these, but I was keeping an eye out for a certain book to complete the trilogy in which I only possessed the first one. Within thirty seconds, I was greeted and asked if I needed any help looking. The store did not have many people in it, but it did have many of its own characters. One lady I observed sitting in the business section looked as though she popped out of an ad for business casual clothing as she sat properly on a chair with her nose in a book. Not one hair was out of place and she peered through her thin narrow glasses. This Barnes and Noble experience showed me that the characters who come into Barnes and Noble are average people of all different ages and demographics. The wide range of customers helps to bring communities of people together all for one purpose, Books. When talking about this with my other roommate Karina she said, “I found that coming from living in Maryland and moving to the Philadelphia area, I wasn’t surprised to see that there is still much diversity when entering a Barnes and Noble. There are so many different kinds of people from different walks of life that go there to find something that they want to read. Overall I found this very interesting.” This was very clear when walking through the Montgomery Barnes and Noble.
When you google search ‘Rittenhouse Barnes and Noble’ an article titled “The last Days of The Rittenhouse Barnes and Noble” comes up. The article says, “Meanwhile, the cafe is a base for teens with nowhere else to go, and adults, too, of varying housing status.” People like to have a place to go even if that place is a Barnes and Noble. The author goes on to say that they will be lost without it and so will much of Philly. While this store on the outside may not have seemed like much more then another chain, it meant a lot to the people of Philadelphia. This Barnes and Noble was not just a bookstore and held so much more for the people of the area then any regular place could. The value in this was that it was a spot to hang out and spend time. It is accessible to the public and it is inviting to people who are there to stay. A place for teens to hang, a place for nerds to read, and a place for books to babysit kids for a change.
After consideration of these three locations, it is clear that Barnes and Noble is not so black and white in understanding what it means to the public. Each location near the Philadelphia area has a certain aspect about it that shows the corporation may be large and vast, but that each location promotes different aspects of personality. The Plymouth meeting location shows the Enlightenment principles of learning and pursuit of knowledge by providing a free learning space with access to many different genres of books. The Montgomery location provides a sense of community with many different types of people who can all collectively coexist and interact. The closed Rittenhouse location was able to provide a place to spend your Sunday and stay for long periods of time enjoying the different aspects of the store. While it is important to help save paper and shop second hand when you can, there is nothing that beats the reassurance that Barnes and Noble provides its customers that they will be getting the best quality of their particular location and the uniqueness that is hidden among the stacks.
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