Where are the Bookstores??? (Midtown: condos, neighborhood, living)

[Streetchie]

Big bookstores not a downtown thing!? Wow, I guess all of those successful Borders and B&N's in every major metropolitan area in the country are about to close their doors.

[Pearlbob]

Memphis is not like any other major metropolitan area downtown. You can't compare Memphis to Chicago, Boston, NYC, where ever you are thinking. Heck, the free public library couldn't even stay downtown, and it was filled with homeless people.

[Streetchie]

I'm not comparing Memphis to Chicago or New York. But you said that big bookstores don't work in urban areas which is just false. Nearly every city in the country has a Borders or Barnes & Noble downtown, sometimes several of them. They definitely work in urban areas and work well. Bob, why the hell are you so damn negative? You might want to see a therapist!

[Pearlbob]

How is that negative?? I don't think a huge bookstore will work in the Peabody Place. Just like Tower didn't, and Isaac Hayes didn't. Downtown is still fairly small and is primarily a touristy area still. I understand that huge bookstores have worked in other cities' downtown areas, but I think there could be a much better use of that space here in Memphis. How about put in a freaking grocery store finally?! Or a Walgreens that stays open past 6pm?! Believe me, I lived downtown for years and it was very frustrating seeing what people tried to accomplish downtown without taking the time to grow the area to fit the needs of the current residents.

[Streetchie]

Actually, Tower Records worked quite well in that location. They closed because the whole company folded up. Of all the Tower locations (89), Peabody Place was ranked about 10th or 12th in sales. Isaac Hayes closed because a mall is a stupid place for a nightclub.....should've been on Beale Street where they would've cleaned up.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Streetchie

Actually, Tower Records worked quite well in that location. They closed because the whole company folded up. Of all the Tower locations (89), Peabody Place was ranked about 10th or 12th in sales. Isaac Hayes closed because a mall is a stupid place for a nightclub.....should've been on Beale Street where they would've cleaned up.

I agree, Isaac Hayes should've put his place on Beale Street. I was sad to see him give up on his club.

However, Pearlbob does make a good point, it would be hard to justify having a bookstore like Borders when downtown Memphis doesn't even have a grocery store.

And to suggest that "Nearly every city in the country has a Borders or Barnes & Noble downtown, sometimes several of them" is simply not true. Nashville doesn't, Knoxville doesn't, Little Rock doesn't, Tampa doesn't, Orlando doesn't, Miami doesn't, Jacksonville doesn't, Charlotte doesn't, Birmingham doesn't, New Orleans doesn't, Buffalo doesn't, Rochester doesn't, Columbus doesn't, Saint Louis doesn't, Richmond doesn't, Albuquerque doesn't, and those are just cities I've visited and checked at the BN and Borders web sites to see if they have downtown locations.

So the fact that Memphis doesn't have a big chain bookstore downtown is not that unusual for a large American city, and it doesn't mean that Memphis is any less sophisticated or cultured than those few cities that do have large bookstores downtown.

[Kabluey]

The impending arrival of the law school I think will change things.

[Pearlbob]

UM is a commuter campus, so I don't think the law school will change things much. Maybe some kids will move downtown, but law students buy text books for class, they don't really need to use a huge B&N type of place. Much like everyone else at UM, students live elsewhere and drive to campus, then leave right after class. It's sad, not that type of university i am used to, but it's probably typical of any other urban campus.

[Streetchie]

Well, I agree that Memphis is no more or less sophisticated because we lack a downtown Borders. Believe me, I would much rather see a Davis-Kidd down here any day. However, I think it would work if located in Peabody Place and I would spend money there.

For the record, JMT, you're wrong......New Orleans, Columbus and Miami do have downtown bookstores, Charlotte is about to have a B&N and St. Louis is about to have both a B&N and a Borders downtown. Tampa has one of the biggest and best downtown bookstores of them all, Old Tampa Books. Further more, Chapel Hill, Milwaukee, Baltimore, DC, Atlanta, Denver, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, West Palm Beach, Coral Gables, Philly, Sacramento, and Indianapolis all have successful bookstores downtown. I'm not even going to get into Boston, NYC, Chicago, LA, SF and the rest. They've all got 5 or more downtown.

My point remains....downtown bookstores work well all over the country. I hope we get one here.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Pearlbob

UM is a commuter campus, so I don't think the law school will change things much. Maybe some kids will move downtown, but law students buy text books for class, they don't really need to use a huge B&N type of place. Much like everyone else at UM, students live elsewhere and drive to campus, then leave right after class. It's sad, not that type of university i am used to, but it's probably typical of any other urban campus.

Yeah seriously. A couple hundred law school students aren't going to single-handedly support a Borders bookstore. Besides, the U of M isn't in downtown Memphis anyway, and they'd be more likely to go to bookstores in midtown or along the Poplar Ave corridor where parking is free.

Downtown Memphis is an entertainment area, not a shopping area. There are a few hundred wealthy residents of downtown Memphis, but they're surrounded by thousands of low-income households. I wish people would start shopping in downtown again, but until it's easier and cheaper to do so, it just ain't gonna happen.

And another thing: downtown Memphis is nowhere near the center of town. It's not very convenient for most Memphians to go downtown.