Book heaven!

[layla]

The new Barnes & Noble opened on Wednesday -- up to this point, the nearest large bookstore was in Anchorage, an 8-hour drive away. Orion and I took a look on the way home yesterday. While I'm delighted to finally have one here, it's strangely disconcerting to walk from frozen Fairbanks into a store that looks and smells *exactly* like any Barnes & Noble anywhere ... much as with walking into Home Depot when I first moved up here, I kept having to remind myself that yes, this *is* still Fairbanks even if all my senses are telling me I'm somewhere else. The B&N is located in a brand-new strip mall that also features an Old Navy, a game store (where we picked up some used DVDs also) and other very "Lower 48" looking businesses.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

...well, not *exactly* like any B&N (The ones in Orlando are sans mondo-fireplaces) but Allie and I aren't complaining one little bit. Open 'til 11pm *happy dance*

If your cookies are disabled...

[dewgeist.livejournal.com]

...you are anonymous. D'oh.

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

The fireplace is new to me, too. I don't think the other ones I've been to had any. I don't know if it's strictly a Fairbanks feature or if all their new B&Ns have fireplaces now ... but I sure do like it!

[(Anonymous)]

My God.... it's now fast becoming Los Fairbanks.... or like Anchorage except without the not-as-cold weather. What about Gullivers? Isn't it still open? Good grief, move out of a town and 6 years later it all goes to hell.

Although, I did get a gift card for B+N for Christmas...

Dan
operator101.com

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

Gullivers is still there. I doubt if it'll go away ... it's got its own niche (plus, it's within walking distance of the campus). Waldenbooks, though ... I imagine they're on their way out.

You probably haven't been back to Squarebanks lately, but my God, this end of town ... It's scary. We've got Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, B&N, plus some other chain stores in and around the big ones, such as Old Navy and Chilis. The whole thing is very, very Lower 48 Freeway District. It's like Illinois with spruce trees. I don't know where all this growth is coming from, since the economy isn't experiencing any particular boom that I know about. Well, actually, I do have a theory -- that the chain stores have saturated their markets Outside and are looking for new places to expand, so Fairbanks is suddenly coming up on the top of the list. I don't know how accurate that is, but I can't think how else to explain it.

[dewgeist.livejournal.com]

I think it's a "If you build it, they will come." sort-of thing...but it is hard for me to imagine Fairbanks as being the top of any corporations list.