I recently visited a local used book store I’d been meaning to check out and was shocked at what I saw. Stacks of books ALL OVER THE FLOOR. Boxes here, bags there. I literally had to step around a stack of books almost blocking the front entrance. There were stacks on the floor around the bookshelves, sometimes going so high that you couldn’t see the titles on the bottom shelf.
And I loved it.
No computer terminals for looking up titles, no manicured rows of neatly organized bookshelves, no built-in coffee shop, no displays for the latest DVD/CD offerings. Just lots and lots of books, more or less organized, with the promise of making a browse down the aisles something more like going through someone’s attic than their family room. You might find something interesting, but it won’t necessarily be front and center on display.
In my case, I found something I’ve been casually in the market for: a first edition Glidrose Publications of the James Bond novel, “Thunderball” (complete with Jonathan Cape cover). But I had to hunt for it – had to track down an employee, in fact (note: I talked to two different employees there, and they were both friendly and helpful).
I love the big box/national chain bookstores and Amazon for what they offer, but this latest experience reminded me that sometimes the challenge/surprise of the search can equal the the joy of discovery, even if it’s at the expense of efficiency. Or maybe the lack of ease in the search generates the joy. Either way, it was an awesome experience that I could only have had at a local bookstore.