A good bookstore provides a sanctuary from the hustle of everyday life. Whether it’s flipping through pages of a novel, enjoying a latte in the attached coffee shop, or finding a quiet corner to work or study, these spaces offer a sense of calm and community that’s hard to replicate elsewhere.
When I was in high school in the late 90s, I used to love going to Barnes & Nobles in NYC to get out of the hustle & bustle and check out the new magazines each week. I never bothered with the subscriptions, but I would pop in a few times a week to read the titles and articles I liked: Sports Illustrated, Cosmopolitan, People, High Times. Little has changed besides the location. Back during the CD era, one could even listen to new albums at their headphone stations, those were the days.
I was also a bit of a mall rat, getting a job at a high-end fashion destination at the upscale Westchester mall. It was the place to meet up after school and before going out, to check out the new styles and grab a bite to eat in the food court. I am so far removed from a life without smart phones, it is sometimes wild to think about how much of my upbringing was done without them.
Just like hanging out at the card store and trading for magic the gathering cards when people barely had monthly magazines to help them with pricing, it was the wild west (and currently thousand dollar cards were valued barely over $40). I accrued dozens! Now there are a plethora of real-time price data tracking platforms to make sure everyone gets a fair deal, I miss those 3rd spaces I would go to as a kid. I hope they do come back, just because the alternative -- bleak abandoned shopping malls -- sounds tragic.