| rev:text
| - As many who reviewed before, my review is going to be biased. As I used to come down here when I was 16 and loose myself in the books and racks upon racks of magazines. I still remember spending many a Saturday morning browsing through whatever topic I found interesting, from Astrology, Calvin and Hobbes, Photoshop to convertibles, to politics & cooking this place has it all. As my topics and reading level changed, I could always depend on the WBB, it always had my back!
Now, I am not overly interested if the WBB is in fact the World's biggest bookstore. I mean, I doubted that statement back in the 90's, as I think it no different than what Hero Burgers is today --I doubt Batman feels the need to eat there just because of the name-- and I pretty much don't think it holds any truth now. I mean, who cares? The fact is the place is massive. I only have three concerns:
1-) The place has been owned by Indigo for quite a few years now, so it is no longer independent and that is a shame.
2-) I noticed many of the prices on books to be either on par or in some cases be MORE expensive --even if by a few bucks-- then say, the two adjacent bookstores to the WBB. You know the ones, the two closer to Yonge. To be honest, since they are owned by Indigo, I do not feel the need to support them as much as I used to, and because of that, I do not go nearly as often as I used to either. As now I go to the bookstores in the Annex instead which for the most part are still independent.
3-) When it comes to decor or atmosphere this place is and has always been the bargain bin cousin to No Frills. With its tired paint job, creakily floors, uneven wheelchair ramps and utterly spartan decor this place is not going to win any new customers with it's atmosphere and it reflects, as it is generally mostly empty.
I assure you, personally, I do not care but it would take a fool to not recognize the threat of Indigo's other bookstore locations to the WBB. With their newer decor, leather couches, incorporated cafes, pianos, seminars and in the end almost equal price, the charm of the WWB gets lost on most of the population. And now with on-line stores like Amazon having jumped in the fray and offering cheaper prices... you tell me... In the end, who is truly left? Mostly people like us, who go there from time to time for nostalgia's sake.
Not the best business model if you ask me. They will need to do some changes, and soon. Otherwise, aside no longer being the world's biggest bookstore, soon enough, the WBB won't be a bookstore at all.
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