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| - The Henderson Barnes & Noble (abbreviated B&N) celebrates 20 years at this location. Taking into consideration all the chains that have closed and the state of the bookstore, this is an accomplishment.
When B&N opened this store in 1996, the bookstore was at the zenith of its popularity. Throughout the major downtowns and power shopping centers of the United States people across the land flocked to B&N and it's late competitor Borders Books.The super bookstore was more than books. Before the influx of smartphones, portable computers, social media, and Kindles; they were the brick & mortor social media. These stores were places to meet up, be seen, and meet people. By 2010, the trends above closed a chapter in the bookstore industry. Turning the page in the new chapter, we lost Borders, Las Vegas lost the Maryland Parkway B&N, and bookstore chains have faced tough times.
Even though I have a smartphone and am a dedicated Yelper, I am still fond of the bookstore and my Starbuck's. B&N offers me both. In a way Barnes & Nobles is a super-sized Starbuck's that carries books. Today, it is more than books. As soon as I walk in there is a display of Kindle. Nearby there are Lego toys, Star Wars toys, and greeting cards. Throughout the store there are epic displays that include Harry Potter and the Books for Dummies series. In the back there is a music shop. Speaking of music, B&N is one of the last surviving places with a reputable selection of CDs.
From the late 2000s, I have noticed a drop in the inventory level. For example, the newspapers from around the world are gone. It seems that there are some dead spaces. Recently, B&N made a positive move with a corner of dead space near their Starbuck's by drastically increasing the number of tables. When Borders was alive, I chose to go there because this store had very few tables that would fill up. This was when Starbuck's owned the cafe creating a situation that customers were prohibited from perusing the books without purchasing them. In the last few years B&N took over the Starbuck's. Until recently it had few tables. However, there were so few people hanging out here that it was foreseeable to get a table. The upshot is that more tables is adding more heads to the store. They are staying longer and supporting the business by buying beverages. I am one of them.
Their Starbuck's cafe is more than coffee. They serve warm food including soup and a Cheesecake Factory line of desserts. The cafe also includes outdoor seating.
I would like to purchase more than coffee from Barnes & Noble. The problem is that books are so ridiculously overpriced. Why did the books astronomically go up in price? I remember in the late 80s that paperback biographies were square shaped averaging $6. Then a few years later they went up to $15 average. For crying out loud it is far less $ to buy a DVD. With inflation, paperback books at the most ought to be $10. I believe that if paperbacks were reasonably priced that a lot more people would be visiting the bookstore line instead of the Starbuck's line. With the Clark County Library and City of Henderson library systems, in theory I could read the same book for free. But by the time I pay my habitual late fees, I probably should of brought the overpriced book at B&N.
My final observation is that this and the majority of B&Ns I have been to are long overdue on a remodel. We are in the age of retailtainment. The interior could use some fake plants, a relaxing color scheme, new carpeting or tiles, and replacing the pictures of the men from the 1800s. I understand that the pictures from the 1800s tell the B&N story, however, they can be told on a far smaller footprint. These pictures take away from the environment. They should be replaced by fake wood or a color scheme that encourages people to relax. The reality is that B&N would needs a healthy cash if they formulated a plan to refurbish this store.
As the Henderson B&N celebrates 20 years in business, I continue to support it. In its trying times, I will continue to support the Henderson B&N. Even if it's a little gesture such as buying a cup of Starbuck's.
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