Saturday, September 13

Oh, gentrification, how I hate you...

We are all aware of gentrification. That's when a nice neighborhood starts being cool and all the little shops have to move out because rent gets higher, and then starbucks and convinience stores and "cool" stores start popping up everywhere.

There is a neighborhood here in Mexico City that despite being fashionable had somehow retained its charm, but this week, as I was walking over there, I saw a sign in a bookstore that said they were closing down. I was appalled...
This bookstore has been there for years. It has got any book you'd ever want, and yet it is going to close down. The next minute, there will be a bar, a clothing store, a convinience store or a Starbucks to replace it.
I went in and bought a book. It was kind of a solidarity act, though. It somehow seemed so WRONG to me that it was closing down. I wanted to stop it. I asked the man if they were really going to close and he just jokingly said: Yes, but don't you wanna buy the bookstore??

It really tears my heart to see little businesses get killed, but seeing THAT bookstore closed really killed me.

7 comments:

A Keeper's Jackpot said...

I know what you mean. We have a nice little book store down town private owned small business. They have a ton of stuff and if they don't have what you want, they can order it for you anyway! Now there's talk of a Borders coming through. Greaaaaaaaat.

Unknown said...

I'm fortunate in that our little book store remains untouched. They do go the extra mile and will special order ANY book you want. It saddens me that big box stores and meaga corporations are taking over the world and pushing the little guy out of business. :(

Anonymous said...

I totally agree. With your blog post and the comments above.

I LOVE the Mom & Pops, DH and I will go out of our way to patronize one if we can.

I hope though that things are slowly turning backward, in that I think the majority like what we all do.

Though we live in a "vacation" spot, we still believe in the small guys...who are really the BIG guys in our minds and hearts.

Hope to live somewhere like Ms. Moo someday, but near enough to the ocean to reap "sea rewards"/food.

Carapace said...

Back at the tail end of the dot-com boom, our very favorite bookstore in Austin-- Austin, TX, of all places-- got ousted by the landlord. Brilliant store, place where I met Terry Pratchett before America knew who he was, fantastic antique books collection, staff that knew and loved every book like it was their own personal library. And now it's gone. It's grim consolation to me that the profiteering landlord never got another tenant (he'd been hoping for a coffee shop).

I love the online stores for those impossible items, I feel no shame in it, but I'd love to stay with my B&M stores if only they didn't keep closing!

Live, Love, Laugh, Write! said...

THAT'S HORRIBLE!!! I hate seeing small stores close - but bookstores are the worse!!! Because I LOVE bookstores! I'm a book addict, drives my husband nuts.

agoodwitchtoo said...

We've lost a lot of our coolest stores to the big name retailers too.

Our town used to have the coolest little music store where you could find stuff that the big names don't carry. After 20+ years they had to close shop :( I hated to see them go.

Nuvofelt said...

It happens here in the UK as well. so sad.

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