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    JessaminaKelly Faircloth
    6/24/16 6:47pm

    I don’t know if this is new in the U.S. but in Canada, we have Indigo Chapters. This massive bookstore moved into cities and put fantastic independent bookstores out of business. I can think of at least 5 in Toronto that have shut in less than 10 years. So the independent bookstores closed down and we had only this massive mainstream bookshop. But now, with the popularity of Amazon, Indigo Chapters is feeling the heat of competition and has started to morph into a ‘lifestyle’ shop with electronics and home decor and stationary, decreasing the number of books they carry.

    Branching out into restaurants and bars is convenient for shoppers but I would encourage everyone to shop at the few independent bookstores they still have in their towns because these are the only places where small press is sold. They are the only places that support and sell new, emerging writers. The best example is poetry - the poetry section in these massive stores are limited to the canon and it’s an ever shrinking section. Walt Whitman is great, but we should all have access to new writers. So many fantastic writers are never heard of because you basically have to already be a best selling author or award winner to get shelf space in these Barnes & Nobles type of shops.

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      entr'acte wherestheexitsignJessamina
      6/24/16 6:53pm

      That IS a shame. And I thought you guys had all the cool stuff.

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      Exalted Toad QueenJessamina
      6/24/16 7:00pm

      As an indie bookseller, hear hear!

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    No-Mi SkyeKelly Faircloth
    6/24/16 6:46pm

    This is actually a great idea. As a former floor sitter of B&N, people like hanging out there. (Me) Some people spend all day there. (Me) A restaurant is a great idea and smart for them to attract customers and retain/hire employees. It may be the thing that gets them from under Amazon’s foot. Especially since after killing off brick and mortars, they’ve decided a few brick and mortars of their own wouldn’t be a bad idea.

    I miss B&N, haven’t been there to chill in a while.

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      ThatFatScatCatNo-Mi Skye
      6/24/16 7:23pm

      Well, this will undoubtedly be good for their business, but the vibe is that this move will probably degrade their standing as booksellers. I’m just hoping that this move brings the company far enough into the black where they can start to re-focus on the actual book store part of their business some time down the road. Expand a bit, make it better. You know.

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      Wife on MarsNo-Mi Skye
      6/24/16 11:40pm

      Come back anytime. Our old CEO loved students, browsers, and floor sitters. He said the folks hanging out and studying or whatnot would become future customers (if they weren’t already). He told me this in person when I was new to B&N many many years ago.

      I was really pleased to hear of new stores opening. Now I’ll have a comeback when someone tells me the reason my company is “going out of business” (which it isn’t) is because I won’t allow them to return an old out of print book without a receipt. People.

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    botticelliloveKelly Faircloth
    6/24/16 7:09pm

    Honestly, I want to know why bookstore/paperback exchange bars aren’t more of a thing. A good book and a really good cocktail? I would literally never leave.

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      Das, evil rabbit and obnoxious (half)germanbotticellilove
      6/24/16 7:17pm

      Right? Universe, give me a bar where I can go meet book nerds!

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      Sunshine is my Spirit Animalbotticellilove
      6/24/16 7:37pm

      there are a couple of coffee shops in Tucson and Phoenix that sell alcohol, food, and coffee that are pretty awesome to go hang out in. And a few are close to local bookstores. While Arizona was literally on the mouth of hell, it does have some cool shit.

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    DevonnaKelly Faircloth
    6/24/16 7:27pm

    I would like more BOOKS at the bookstore, please. I hate ordering books online because I want the instant gratification of holding a book in my hands. My wild evening? Book in one hand, Chipotle burrito in the other.

    But if this keeps B&N in business, okay.

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      notcelupusDevonna
      6/25/16 6:39am

      I know this feeling. I admit I don’t buy books much lately (because I don’t have the money and I’ve been finding it hard to find stuff I want to read) but there’s a few chain bookstores around where I am and it’s hard to find anything because of them doing things like basically scaling down their fantasy, sci-fi and graphic novels into two shelves and just generally limiting the amount of stuff that’s there like I don’t necessarily want to buy a book online because I’d rather pick it up by hand take a read of a few bits and decide if it’s worth my time.

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      anilhcimDevonna
      6/25/16 9:51am

      Same here. I like the Amazon prices but it just doesn’t compare to the feeling of being in a book store.

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    JujyMonkey: Clever tagline goes hereKelly Faircloth
    6/24/16 6:39pm

    I love the fact that B&N used to be the enemy and now they’re the underdog with Amazon and they’re being rooted for.

    Jeff Bezos has zero respect for the inherent value of content because he sells books and music at a loss.

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      Mr.Noir, Liberal Hippie KingKelly Faircloth
      6/24/16 6:37pm

      Oh B&N, no... Stick with what you know, awesome Rice Krispies treats & incredible cheesecake.

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        goddessoftransitoryKelly Faircloth
        6/24/16 11:25pm

        Wine in the hot sun followed by bocce? What could possibly go wrong? Besides piles of books on all the tables covered in liquor stains?

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          Maxine Floeffler, Super Delegategoddessoftransitory
          6/25/16 12:47am

          Don’t forget the fire pit! And they’re rolling this out in Eastchester, NY., not Monterey, CA. Eastchester is a small town in, counterintuitively, Westchester County. Trivia: Did you ever watch “Maude”? The Findlays lived in Tuckahoe, which is next door.

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        FieryAntidoteKelly Faircloth
        6/25/16 10:09am

        Nothing goes together like books, wine, and fire.

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          pageandpetalsKelly Faircloth
          6/25/16 1:31am

          I work in publishing so I get all of the trade publications’ daily e-mail blasts, and damn if B&N doesn’t have a headline in there every day about their precarious financial position. One month they’re up, now they’re down again. I hope this experiment helps them bring in some traffic. Publishing houses laid off huge portions of their sales forces when Borders went under; it would hit the industry really hard if we lost B&N (because let’s face it, Books-a-Million isn’t quite in the same league). I will say that the indie bookstore scene seems to be getting much stronger now that the chain booksellers are losing ground. (Of course, that could be because I live in Boston and we have a ton of amazing independent bookstores here. S/O to Harvard Book Store, the Brookline Booksmith, and Porter Square Books!)

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            ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ : Riot GRRR is RUNNING WILDKelly Faircloth
            6/24/16 7:26pm

            Given the number of people who go to Starbucks and rid while sipping a latte, it’s not the worst idea.

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