Laredo (Tx.) could be largest US city without bookstore

[ensho]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gHM8cmbav7S24NISh2xp5BESkZKAD9CKL63G0


The final chapter has been written for the lone bookstore on the streets of Laredo.

With a population of nearly a quarter-million people, this city could soon be the largest in the nation without a single bookseller.

The situation is so grim that schoolchildren have pleaded for a reprieve from next month's planned shutdown of the B. Dalton bookstore. After that, the nearest store will be 150 miles away in San Antonio.

The B. Dalton store was never a community destination with comfy couches and an espresso bar, but its closing will create a literary void in a city with a high illiteracy rate. Industry analysts and book associations could not name a larger American city without a single bookseller.

"Corporate America considers Laredo kind of the backwater," said the city's most prolific author, Jerry Thompson, a professor at Texas A&M University International who has written more than 20 books.

Since the closing was announced, book lovers in Laredo have flocked to the small store located between City Trendz ("Laredo's No. 1 Underground Hip Hop Shop") and a store that offers $4 indoor go-kart rides to stock up on their favorite titles.

Schoolchildren even wrote letters to the parent company, Barnes & Noble, begging for the store to stay open.

"Without that store, my life would be so sad and boring," wrote a fifth-grader named Bryanna Salinas, who signed her name with a heart.

The Laredo store is among 49 remaining B. Daltons nationwide that Barnes & Noble will close by next year.
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how embarrassing for the people of Laredo. how embarrassing for america as the world looks on.

[tammywammy]

1. That's so sad

Laredo has so many problems and it always seems to get shafted. Here you have a population that has a high illiteracy rate begging for the bookstore to stay open.

:(

[marmar]

2. 150 miles away? Jeezus.

[GodlessBiker]

3. There are Kindle ads surrounding this article as I read it. Kind of an interesting commentary.

[ensho]

5. its kinda expensive to buy one of the kindle things

nt

[GodlessBiker]

8. Indeed.

[jtylerpittman]

4. thats sad

that does not make business since. you would think that a store with no competition would be doing well.

[tammywammy]

6. And from the article Barnes & Noble plan on opening another store there

B&N is closing down the B. Dalton's and the site for a new B&N won't be ready for 18 months. So really they're going to just be without a bookstore for like 2 years. You'd think B&N would just keep the Dalton's open for the revenue while building the new store and then shut it down.

[jtylerpittman]

7. or why not just take one sign down and put another up

why waste the money on a whole new building

[tammywammy]

9. From the description

The B Daltons is small and cramped with narrow aisles. A bigger store could accomodate chairs for people to sit to glance over books, wider aisles, and most importantly more space to stock more books.

[newlib]

10. true, what you say - but you've also got to get people interested

in wanting to read. maybe governor perry can make a swing down to laredo & give a little pep talk about how readers are leaders.

[tammywammy]

11. Laredo's "blue"

Perry doesn't care about them (honestly, Perry doesn't really care about any Texans except his fellow secessionists and tea baggers and that's only for reelection). He hasn't so far in trying to really promote reading, improve poverty, etc down in that area of South Texas. The only thing Perry says in relation with Laredo is they need federal government help in protecting the borders.