Man Found Dead In Barnes & Noble

This just happened this afternoon. Supposedly he is 25 years old and they have not yet released his name or the cause of death:

Man found dead inside Barnes & Noble bathroom in Queens – NYPOST.com.

Brick and Mortar Memories

Before the internet, I used to do most of my browsing in the aisles of great bookstores like our neighborhood Barnes & Noble on Austin St.

More recently, that activity has been replaced by browsing of the digital kind, for instance on my Kindle.

But now comes word that the enormous Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Square in Manhattan is closing and will become a Century 21 store. A Century 21 store???!

I have so many wonderful memories of that gigantic bookstore, pretty much from the time it opened. I remember how excited I was every time I went there. It was a great place to just while away a lazy afternoon, cracking open one book after another, never knowing what I would discover next.

Now that will be replaced by bargain clothing. How exciting.

I am all for progress. And I absolutely love my Kindle. I end pretty much every day clicking away on the thing. But I will definitely miss that wonderful Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Square. And I truly hope our store here on Austin isn’t next.

I remember when I discovered last year that suddenly all the Virgin Megastores in the City had closed. That was bad, but it was more like an incovenience level-bad, an annoyance.

Ever since I was a teenager and had a few hours to spare, I’d jump in the car and head on over to my nearest bookstore, usually a B&N and, oftentimes a steaming Starbucks in hand, meander through the aisles.

I haven’t done it in a while actually, since, like I said, I can now carry my bookstore with me wherever I go thanks to my Kindle. But just knowing that I soon might never be able to do it ever again, makes me want to more than ever.