I can't think of a good title for this (maybe you can?)
Today, I bought a book.
This act is in most cases a purely ordinary one. The title and author of the book I bought, while relevent to my personal interests, weren't something I was explicitly searching for. No, what makes this book mentionable is the fact that I bought it at Bogey's. It's one of the last independent bookstores in Davis, and it's going to close its doors at the end of this year.
Were it not for the Borders that opened a few years ago and just a few blocks away, Bogey's might still remain open. The presence of a chain store nearby has hurt it's business too much, beyond the point of what internet booksellers have already done. The presence of the Borders had already forced at least one other bookstore to move out of Davis, and with the closure of Bogey's, this college town will have one less independent bookstore.
I felt that I had to buy something from them (or at least visit them) just to say that I have while they still exist.
I was surprised to learn of its closure when I found out about it last week in the campus newspaper. I have tried to make myself aware of small-town economics in relation to large stores like Wal-Mart and the like, but it had never occurred to me that Borders could do the same act as well. Now I feel somewhat guilty for having shopped there before.
I've barely had time to experience life in Davis, and the local culture seems to be slipping through my fingers. Come next spring, construction will begin on the Target that will be in north Davis, and it will only be a matter of time before the city's long-held tradition of avoiding big box marts will be over. This issue was so debated among the citizens that it was put to a vote on the 2006 local ballot. The Target's construction was approved with just 51% of voters in favor of it. I'm sure there will be benfits towards having it, but I'm afraid of what it could change in the rest of Davis. I'm hoping the 49% who voted against it will boycott the place.
Is it irrational to think of Davis as a microcosm for America? What I see is a growing ubiquitousness of a few businesses and a loss of smaller, more diverse ones.* This could go for other things too, like radio; from what I've learned at KDVS, only a handful of names control the majority of radio stations in America. [Aside from KDVS, there is KDRT - a station so local that it can't be heard outside the Davis city limits. One of their DJs was talking to the manager at Bogey's when I was there.]
I always seem to arrive too late to experience something unique in a unique city. I was disappointed to see southern-Californian clothing stores when I visited Carnaby Street (London) last year, 'cos I was looking for some genuine modernist apparel. And now I'm disappointed to see generic businesses stake more claims in Davis when I was looking for a stand-alone college town.
All I have left to say...is that Dimple Records and Armadillo Music better not be next!!
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*Re-reading this sentence, I feel like I'm stating something blindingly obvious.
This act is in most cases a purely ordinary one. The title and author of the book I bought, while relevent to my personal interests, weren't something I was explicitly searching for. No, what makes this book mentionable is the fact that I bought it at Bogey's. It's one of the last independent bookstores in Davis, and it's going to close its doors at the end of this year.
Were it not for the Borders that opened a few years ago and just a few blocks away, Bogey's might still remain open. The presence of a chain store nearby has hurt it's business too much, beyond the point of what internet booksellers have already done. The presence of the Borders had already forced at least one other bookstore to move out of Davis, and with the closure of Bogey's, this college town will have one less independent bookstore.
I felt that I had to buy something from them (or at least visit them) just to say that I have while they still exist.
I was surprised to learn of its closure when I found out about it last week in the campus newspaper. I have tried to make myself aware of small-town economics in relation to large stores like Wal-Mart and the like, but it had never occurred to me that Borders could do the same act as well. Now I feel somewhat guilty for having shopped there before.
I've barely had time to experience life in Davis, and the local culture seems to be slipping through my fingers. Come next spring, construction will begin on the Target that will be in north Davis, and it will only be a matter of time before the city's long-held tradition of avoiding big box marts will be over. This issue was so debated among the citizens that it was put to a vote on the 2006 local ballot. The Target's construction was approved with just 51% of voters in favor of it. I'm sure there will be benfits towards having it, but I'm afraid of what it could change in the rest of Davis. I'm hoping the 49% who voted against it will boycott the place.
Is it irrational to think of Davis as a microcosm for America? What I see is a growing ubiquitousness of a few businesses and a loss of smaller, more diverse ones.* This could go for other things too, like radio; from what I've learned at KDVS, only a handful of names control the majority of radio stations in America. [Aside from KDVS, there is KDRT - a station so local that it can't be heard outside the Davis city limits. One of their DJs was talking to the manager at Bogey's when I was there.]
I always seem to arrive too late to experience something unique in a unique city. I was disappointed to see southern-Californian clothing stores when I visited Carnaby Street (London) last year, 'cos I was looking for some genuine modernist apparel. And now I'm disappointed to see generic businesses stake more claims in Davis when I was looking for a stand-alone college town.
All I have left to say...is that Dimple Records and Armadillo Music better not be next!!
----------------------------------------------------
*Re-reading this sentence, I feel like I'm stating something blindingly obvious.