On Bookstores

At this very moment do you want a glass of wine or a glass of water? Don’t answer straight away! Take a moment and think about your personal tastes. Maybe the situation will play a bigger factor than your tastes. If you are at work, it might not be the best time for a glass of wine. If you are eating a well prepared, succulent rack of lamb, maybe water is not the best choice. Mark Twain once quipped, “My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.”

The experience of choosing a bookstore contains fundamentally the same question; it’s a matter of tastes and circumstances. I am going to compare a big chain book store with my favorite small independent “Mom and Pop” book store. I think each has its own place and value but they are fundamentally different experiences, much like water and wine.

I will start the comparison with my impressions of the Barnes & Noble at my local mall. Walking in, you are immediately hit with marketing, and lots of it. This is the lease attractive aspect of one of my favorite pastimes. I am already a fan of spending time in book stores so I don’t really need the extra sell. Walking in the door, one almost trips over the “Nook” help desk. They really, really—really— want you to buy one. E-book readers are the new front lines for big corporate booksellers. It is a sign of the changing times.

Once past the e-book stand you see a few tables set up to catch your eye. Unmistakably, they are placed smack dab in the middle of the walkway. There is no chance to get where you were headed without walking around a table. This was most definitely planned, but I don’t want to imply it was done so by some unseen evil mogul intent on my downfall. The table I walked around was neatly stacked with books about money, markets, and finances, one of my favorite subjects. I was happy to see many of the newest books written on the subject. It was as easy to find a book that would occupy my time as it is to find a refreshing glass of water.

For a completely different experience I will share with you another bookstore. If you travel north to the town of Auburn, Washington you find my home town and my favorite book store, Comstock’s Bindery and Book Store. It is a cozy little store on Main St. owned by a husband and wife pair. When you open the door, be sure not to let the cats out. This will likely not be much of a problem as they most often just stare at you somewhat lazily. The first impression you get, caused by the narrow walkways crowded with high bookshelves, is one of near claustrophobia. A strong feeling of history also permeates the quiet atmosphere; it is actually hard to find a new book in the store.

I enjoy this uniqueness and as I came of age in this town, I loved finding books no longer in print to add to my library. The sections on science fiction and military history were vast expanses of literary adventure for a young man eager to grow up. The bookstore not only taught me history, it became a part of my history.

At the end of the agonizing chore of choosing out only the books I could afford and replacing the rest on the shelves, I always enjoyed good conversation with the owner as he (or more often his wife) operated the old cash register. The outgoing books they logged in a paper notebook that somehow kept order to the flow of their inventory. A fair warning though: when you walked up to the counter, you often had to cough or make some other ruckus, as the owner was often oblivious to your presence, absorbed in the work of repairing old bindings and unloved books. Like old wine refined by time, Comstock’s is an acquired taste for a well developed palette.

So back to my original question: do you want water or wine? Do you want the easy convenience of a quick-stop bookshop, stylishly packed with every new thing, or do you want to spend some time exploring the deep rich and somewhat dusty history of literature? Both stores have their places; both serve a purpose. Water or wine, man needs to drink.