Star Bucks

Charlottesville is being slowly and painfully devoured by an evil being, a being who has already stuffed entire cities into its stinking gullet. The name of that being is Creeping Corporatism, and it's already here in the form of Barnes and Noble. And B&N's bastard cousin Starbucks follows close on its heels. Beware.

But Barnes and Noble is great! Isn't it? All those books, those comfy couches, that Undergraduate Reading Series. Really does a lot to encourage literary literariness in all its forms, wouldn't you say? Charlottesville hasn't been consistently rated Home of the Most Voracious Readers for no reason, right? Thanks, B&N.

But there's an ugly side to this Great and Terrible bookstore. Remember the Local Authors section? Gone. One staffer explained that everybody wanted to see his book on the shelf, and B&N just got tired of it. Yeah, those local authors just want their egos stroked. Probably weren't bringing in a lot of money, anyway. Johnnie Cochran's book wasn't moving any copies, yet stagnates on shelves, taking up space that could go to -- think of it! -- local authors.

News flash: Barnes and Noble doesn't give a damn about local anything -- not authors, and definitely NOT locally owned bookstores, which it consistently puts out of business. They're one shining example of a nearly monopolistic business, crushing every locally owned thing in its path. Feh.

Oh, but it gets worse. Starbucks, my personal nemesis ever since they put a thriving little coffeeshop out of business within weeks of setting up shop in Norfolk's Ghent area, is contemplating a move to the Corner. They're looking at the old Arnette's location. Now at last count, there were three other coffeeshops on the corner -- Espresso Corner, Higher Grounds, and Greenberry's. Do we really need a fourth one, which in all likelihood will put at least one of these places out of business? Do we need more commodified counterculture? Please, God, no!

These bastions of Creeping Corporatism must be stopped before they've moved into every outlying area or formerly funky downtown and turned it all into a depressing sameness, a monopolistic monument to homogeneity, and destroyed every local shop around. I know it's hard not to go to Barnes and Noble -- but don't forget places like the Williams Corner bookstore, not to mention all those on Elliewood. And you can do without your Frappucino, I think. Try something from one of the interesting coffeehouses on the Corner. And if T.G.I. Friday's succeeds in procuring a Corner location, for heaven's sake, don't go there. Just think how you'd feel in one of those hats.

-- JLP