The End of Stacey's

Well Stacey’s closes today. I’m sure others will write more eloquent and heart-felt eulogies. I’ll freely admit to spending more time in the store since they announced they were closing than I ever did before then. I’ve spent the last few months more as an interloper at a dying man’s bedside. That doesn’t mean that watching its shelves slowly empty until the shelves themselves started to leave didn’t affect me. It just means I didn’t have as much invested in the old girl until she started taking on water.

Today, a handful of books remained along with a surprisingly large selection of Christmas cards and wrapping. I’ve been meaning to buy some wrapping paper since day 1, but have just been too lazy. Perhaps I will go back after work and grab a roll. Instead, today I picked up a few industrial looking bookends. None of the remaining books particularly tickled my fancy and I’ve already over-loaded my library with purchases of late.

Yes, it’s sad that Stacey’s is closing. I feel it’s more a statement about our economy than about the book business, however. In a world were Virgin is closing its Megastore just down the block, Stacey’s didn’t stand much of a chance. Although, I suppose both were a relic of a pre-internet time. I suppose recessions are an economy’s version of a lion attacking a heard of zebra. They end up killing the weak and injured (or the monumentally stupid).

As I stood there browsing through plastic genre signs reading things like “Mystery & Suspense” or “Science Fiction / Fantasy” thinking vainly for some useful reason to buy some, I overheard one of the employees talking about how long he’ll have to wait before he sees his first unemployment check. That’s like getting a good look at the zebra before the kill. Breaks your heart.