A tale of two bookstores

Late last year, right after Christmas, I was looking for a copy of "The Hangover" on DVD. I was in the neighborhood of my city's Borders franchise, so I decided to pop in there and see if they had it. They did - for $29. I have not paid that much for a DVD in my life. (For the sake of comparison, I ended up going with a $10 version at Wal-Mart that came in a two-DVD set with "Wedding Crashers.")

It's important to note that the $29 version was the stripped-down edition, the kind that lists "interactive menu" as a special feature. (Note to DVD marketing people: this is like listing "track menu" as a special feature on a CD, or "ink on paper" for a book.) The edition with the actual special features was even pricier. I walked out of Borders shaking my head. Did they think someone was actually going to drop that much on a single DVD of a movie that came out 18 months earlier?

This is why they're bankrupt. Well, one of the reasons. Looking back on that moment just a few weeks ago, I can clearly see that my local Borders lost its soul, to quote Edward McClellan's piece at Salon. The place that in past years hosted local bands and readings of area authors and basically kept Thruway Shopping Center hopping was suddenly just another big-box store that I got into and out of as quickly as possible, usually disappointed.

Just around the corner from our Borders is a used book/CD/movie store, Edward McKay. I can't remember the last time I went in Ed McKay and didn't have to stand in line for half an hour. It's always packed with people dropping off items to sell or trade. And it's always my first stop when I'm looking for a book or DVD. Despite its unpredictable inventory, the staff can tell you exactly what's in the store and precisely where to find it. They stock LPs (which is how my 12-year-old nephew is getting into The Who). You could spend an afternoon there, not even buy anything, and still have a great time.

I hear the narrative that e-readers and the Internet are killing locally owned bookstores, and then I go to Edward McKay and wonder where exactly that narrative comes from. Maybe, as McClellan writes, "as paper books become a niche product, niche retailers will be the best place to buy and sell them."

A book-lover can only hope...

(PS: I have a copy of "Wedding Crashers" for sale, best offer. Original packaging!)