Manhattan's Fading Literary Landscape

March 26, 2014

bookstore1-articleLargeSky-high rents are forcing many of Manhattan’s bookstores to close or move out of Manhattan according to today’s disheartening article in the New York Times. Independent stores Coliseum Books, Shakespeare and Company, Endicott Booksellers and Murder Ink have all closed and now the big chain stores like Barnes & Noble are closing as well. Biographer and historian Robert Caro said the loss of bookstores from Manhattan is “a profoundly significant and depressing indication of where our culture is.” Chief executive of  Hachette Books said “compared to other cities, New York is no longer a bookstore city.” You can read the entire article here.

Laura


The Scent of Chocolate Makes Money- And Sense

August 2, 2013

chocolateCustomers in a Belgian bookstore were treated to the aroma of chocolate, and as a result, according to researchers and this NPR post, were “40 percent more likely to buy romance novels and cookbooks, and about 22 percent more likely to buy books in other genres.” Belgian researchers, concluding that the smell of chocolate boosts book sales, published their findings in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Did they really need a study? This is Just further proof that chocolate never disappoints!

Laura


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