I’m on vacation, visiting family in my old hometown. Today I drove into the city to do some shopping. And another business has disappeared. Fantastic Planet has closed its doors. It was an good independent bookstore that specialized in science fiction and I always bought something when I visited it. It was also the the only comic book store in the city. One less place remaining from my youth (late youth anyway - I was in my early twenties when it opened).
A couple of years ago, I had a thread entitled “Ode to my Bookstore” which was just that-- the only bookstore in town made it barely six months before closing its doors. The indiference of this town’s citizens to the very concept of reading made it a Waterloo project from the beginning, but it was a noble effort.
My condolences.
Get this - the Barnes and Noble across from my university shut down this January. Oddest thing, though - there was rarely a shortage of people in there.