I write this on the last day LG will be open, at least in this location so you might know what you missed.
This was a bookstore, yes. A used one at that, where you couldn't really plan on buying something in particular but could always find something you liked. It was more than that, however. It was a key component of our cultural circulatory system. Where the amateurs and the weird could have their voices heard. Where one could catch stellar poetry on countless warm nights. You'd just wander in and get this feeling that it represented what central Phoenix was meant to be. Different. Soulful. Refuge from gigantic parking lots and predictable strip malls.
I don't know what's going to become of this old house. I sat out back for the last time and couldn't help but be distracted by the harsh glow from the university signs down the road. It's just so flashy and new and such an awkward juxtaposition to the mellow vibes I'm used to. It felt ominous, as though change in the direction of tall and sleek and modern was inescapable, and any coziness I felt would be short-lived.
I hope the owner(s) can manage to prosper in some way. For others missing this, know the publishing entity itself is here to stay. But goodness gracious can this city just not kill 5th street?