ED NOTE: From 2006
I know that progress is inevitable. And that you can’t expect everyone to survive. But the news last week the news that the Tudor book shop in Clarks summit would soon shutter its doors was not good.
Now I have never, to my knowledge, stepped foot in the place. I have however shopped often in the location in Kingston and it’s a great small bookstore and coffee shop, so I bet the one in Clarks Summit was too. The owners blame the big bookstores and the ever encroaching internet for their decision. In a world where bigger is supposed to be better I don’t see how in this case we have gained anything. I was in the big bookstore that ate the little bookstore over the weekend. It was so busy and so big that I got dizzy and had to leave. Sometimes small is better.
This big fish swallows the small fish is becoming pervasive in our world. There used to be four pretty good hardware stores within a ten minute drive from my doorstep. Now there is but one. I could count on the little guys to help me find the right small screw or cotter pin I wanted. Ever tried that at a big box store? They want to sell you a full set of kitchen cabinets, not a 2 cent screw.
I guess part of it is the resistance to change that seems to be growing stronger in me with every passing day. I like the old comfortable routines best. Some changes are inevitable but that doesn’t mean I have to love them.
