Hey there! I’m Rachel, the newest i
ntern at Beaufort. I’m sitting now where previous interns have sat before, typing on a keyboard that previous interns have typed on before, and the burden of expectations weighs heavily on my shoulders (er…fingers?). I don’t know that anything I have to write will stand out among all these other excellent blog entries, but I’ll try my best not to be too boring.
I’ll start off with a confession: I love bookstores. I cannot walk by a bookstore without going inside – which can be a bit of a problem, considering how many bookstores are in the city. And what I love most about bookstores is that they’re sort of like people. Not because I don’t have friends, so bookstores are my friends (although…yeah), but because every single one is unique. No two bookstores have the exact same selection of books, or the exact same set-up, or the exact same vibe; even massive chains like Barnes & Noble differ a little from store to store. Some of them don’t like it when you grab a book from their shelves and curl up in a random corner with it for hours because you’ve already spent your reading budget for the month, and some of them really don’t like it.
But, even though all bookstores are unique, some bookstores are definitely more quirky than others – like these ones, which were refurbished out of unused structures. Admittedly, turning an old manure tank into a bookstore is a little disturbing, but most of these are pretty incredible. Like The Book Barge, a boat-turned-bookstore that sails around the U.K. Or John King Books, which resides in an abandoned (read: creepy and confusing) glove factory in Detroit.
My personal favorite is the Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid (pictured on the right). Originally a 1920s movie palace, it’s now one of the most famous bookstores in Argentina – and, best of all, most of the theater boxes have been converted into reading rooms. If I walked by that bookstore, I definitely wouldn’t be able to resist going inside.
Ultimately, I think the versatility of bookstores says a lot about the inherent value of books in society. It doesn’t matter if you buy a book from Barnes & Noble, an old manure tank, or that shifty street vendor who always winks at you; a book is a book.
Sincerely,
Little Beau Peep 