On Bookstores

This piece is inspired by a visit to Los Angeles’ Last Bookstore

Why do bookstores still exist? Most books can be bought digitally for cheaper. If not digitally, physical books can be bought and shipped to your home easily via Amazon.

But bookstores cater to bibliophiles like myself. At bookstores, there’s something romantic about seeing, feeling, and smelling the books around you. There’s a camaraderie between the other strangers at the shop too, a kinship sparked by a love for a seemingly dying medium.

At a bookstore, I choose books based off of the title and cover. Whatever books the curators of the store decide to show off I’m most likely to check out. No algorithmic bias here.

Bookstores are magical places. A place for curious souls. A place for exercising the imagination. A place that sells ideas that can change us.