Sunday, December 18, 2011

Out of Books

My wife asked me to take her to Fayette Mall in Lexington this weekend, and being the dutiful husband that I am, I agreed. Fayette Mall is the largest mall in Kentucky so you can imagine the traffic it draws from Lexington and surrounding areas. I hate dealing with traffic.

I'm not much into shopping. When we walked inside she said we could meet somewhere after she made her rounds. In the past, I'd go to Waldenbooks and browse. She'd know where to find me when she finished her shopping. And I was content to wander among the books by Kentucky authors, magazine rack, bargain books, new releases, and everything else they had to offer.

But there is no longer a Waldenbooks in the mall. There is no bookstore among the hundred-plus stores. Period. In the space once occupied by Waldenbooks is an Apple store.

So while she went to the various stores, I sat down at one the rest areas. And it got me to thinking as I people-watched.

There are a lot of people who probably don't give it much thought that there isn't a bookstore in the mall. Some may be so young that they never knew there was a bookstore and won't miss it in years to come.

They'll be content to browse the Apple store. Maybe they'll purchase an iPad or some other device to store their music, videos, photos, and perhaps even a book or two.

Until the next time...

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