Here are ideas on how to make bookstores a bit more attractive: The Average Joe: A Book Publisher Blog: How to Improve the Brick and Mortar Bookstore Experience.
Now that I'm in Cedar Rapids the nearest independent bookstore is twenty miles away in Iowa City. John and I spend more money there and at the local Barnes & Noble than we ought, but we usually turn first to Amazon (especially now that I forked over my money and became an Amazon Prime customer. I get free shipping 2nd day air on everything I buy.)
Things not in this post that I'd love in a bookstore: someone like my old friend Robert Clark who knows the literature and my interests and reading habits. That's easier in a store with a narrow focus, like Robert's late, lamented store. But Amazon gives me a real service with recommendations. They're certainly not perfect, but I've found more than one treasured book that way.
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