The Last Chapter

People in cities the world over are finding their favourite small bookstores disappearing or struggling to stay afloat. (Anyone remember Lotus?). In the LA Times, David Streitfeld explains why: "Even in an entertainment-saturated age, people still buy books. But the casual reader has many other places to get bestsellers and topical books, from warehouse stores to the mall. Meanwhile, book nuts — the ones who simply must buy several volumes a week — are lured online. Few businesses can survive that lose customers from both ends of the spectrum."