A car needed to go in for service the other day. Since the garage is in another town, I put Basil in the trunk, and headed out with him while the work was done, so I could simultaneously knock off a few errands and sneak in a ride.
I was shocked to discover that a large building in a small strip mall was being torn down. The largest store in this particular section had been a bookstore, with plenty of square footage. The retail section stretched from the front of the store all the way to the back, and about 2/3rds of that distance had been beautifully tiled.
In the rear, where the other stores had shipping and receiving, the bookstore owners had installed tall, huge picture windows. The rear 2/3rds of the store were bright and light.
We’d heard that a gym was going in. Just what every community needs, right? Another gym. I tried to be philosophical about it; the one good thing was that gym-goers would at least reap the benefit of that view, which changed, naturally, with the seasons.
It is not to be. The windows, indeed every part of the building, including the foundation, which was being destroyed the day I was there, is gone. I suspect the new construction will be no improvement over the old; quite the opposite.
When I parked Basil to take these pictures, I hadn’t noticed the single piece of litter in the area. It was a closing notice for the bookstore, the tape from attaching it to the window still attached at the corners. I tucked it in the trash and moved on.
2 replies on “Changes”
My sense is that you came upon another instance of “progress”, this time spurred by the notion that gyms are money-makers. The best I can hope is it will benefit some customer who wouldn’t otherwise get in shape and otherwise die a slow, lingering death by sloth (couch potatoitis). I’d like to hear about the bookstore reopening in an even better spot.
Love that phrase, Harry: “slow, lingering death by sloth”! You’re right, a gym may be benefcial to people, and that’s the thought to keep in mind. But on the bookstore front, there is good news, apparently, as I’ve just learned that the owners intend to re-open once the construction is completed — just in a smaller (and presumably less expensive, un-tiled) spot. That’s a new, and very welcome, development.