Just got back from Baltimore, MD. Had a chance to visit the Barnes & Noble store in the Inner Harbor development (tourist trap). I was totally impressed by its location, popularity, size, sales staff, and availability of titles.
Within the the building were old ships boilers, 300 year old structural planks and beams, hardwood floors, and other old stuff NEXT to point of sale cash registers, networked computers, stainless steel coffee bins. The contrast was enormous yet it worked. It is a main attraction of the inner harbor, along with the new baseball park and new football field. Take a date to the game and guess what else you end up visiting? The bookstore. Also, the location is close to I-95. Unfortunately, close in parking is at a premium, but you can park on 24-hr, 7-day meters a couple of blocks away and walk to the inner harbor.
Since the inner harbor is new there are not a lot of restrooms for the kids; Barnes & Nobles encourages families to take the kids to their bathrooms on the 2nd floor. Its a long way from the front door to those 'heads' (keeping with the maritime flavor). A family will pass many books before Junior or Janey tinkles. For sports fans the store is located next to the ESPN SportsZone.
I was there on a Sunday afternoon and the place was PACKED. There were couples, mingling singles, old folks, and families. Everyone was relaxed, talkative, and having a good time. The environment was that of a bazaar. The cash registers were singing ca-chinging. If any one has the good fortune to visit Baltimore, check out the Barnes & Noble.
I almost forgot. Is BKS stock any good? What do you think of the book selling business? What about the competition?
Regards
Carey Thompson |
