Barnes and Noble

The local Barnes and Noble on Veterans Boulevard houses a host of fascinating characters, creating a museum of people for the watchful reader who, seated in a plush chair in the corner of the store, can occasionally look up from his book and shoot curious glances at the people surrounding him. As customers, browsers, readers, and studiers walk through the double doors of the book lover’s haven, the seated observer can watch each individual move towards his task, whether it is simply browsing the countless shelves of the store for an interesting find or selecting an assortment of magazines with which to waste time in the company of his Starbucks coffee. Although one may not initially notice the different groups of people that frequent Barnes and Noble, when he studies the people walking in and out of the store, he will notice three distinct groups. While some customers are honestly and directly searching for a specific item in the bookstore, the coffee-drinking readers, the impish denizens of the children’s section, and the aimless shelf browsers compose the three separate clusters of people that cause Barnes and Noble to be a museum of sorts, forming an interesting view for a curious spectator. The bookworm or magazine reader, coffee in hand, provides entertainment through the quirky habits and mannerisms he practices throughout his sojourn at Barnes and Noble. The book-reading customer of the attached coffee shop sits at his table, sipping on a frozen coffee while reading a magazine or book that he does not intend to pay for. He uses Barnes and Noble as a library, walking in, selecting a book or a collection of magazines, and seating himself at one of the many reading areas; the adjacent Starbucks Coffee is the most popular loc... ... middle of paper ... ...e the eccentricity of its inhabitants. The book and magazine readers entertain the observer as they irately glance at the chatterers disturbing their peaceful reading session. The children, with their cheerful scampering, fussy whines, and lighthearted giggles, provide the onlooker with a laughable, perhaps bothersome spectacle. The browsing wanderer roves the store for interesting finds and appreciates books for what they truly are, particles of knowledge, waiting to be cracked open by his and others’ curious minds. These three groups of peculiar people make up the residents of the local Barnes and Noble, a museum for the curious observer. As the people-watcher begins to leave is cornered leather chair after observing the curious clientele, he closes his own book, stands up, and strolls out of the store, knowing that he will return again soon to read and observe.