What a Gem!

     As I arrived at Aldermen for the sixth time, I noticed that I've begun to feel a sense of comfort at the store that, previously was not absent, but was not as thoroughly developed it is now. Even though I was forced to relocate to an armchair and the coffee table (as all of the usual tables were either occupied or reserved), I still felt fairly relaxed and at home, free to just observe and document without interruption. This sense of normative comfort has me thinking about the store as a whole: its pleasant, inviting atmosphere, lighting and music choices, and the friendliness of it's staff. How it all correlates together to create a sort of living room/library away from home. But this is its appeal: to welcome you in with either warming or cooling coffee from Bean and Brew Coffee Shoppe, encourage you to perhaps pick up a snack as well, and traverse the aisles and the living room area with a carefree ease. Even I have fallen prey to its familiar allure.
     But what I really wanted to touch it on was how necessary this comfort may be in a college town, where many of the city's inhabitants may be in unfamiliar territory and something (or in this case some place) to make them feel safe and grounded. This is why business, not only in the academic industry, but also in the restaurant/dining, hospitality & tourism, and recreation industries are so crucial to the socio-economic environment of the city. They not only provide income, but also shape the outside world's perception of the town, and help to entice individuals to come here for college. And I personally feel that Alderman Ave. Bokhandle is a major staple of the inviting atmosphere that is being shaped. I live here (and have for 3-4 years now), and have virtually always had a special interest in Alderman and the kind of role that it plays in its area. Whenever I am in there, I enjoy just looking around to see and here the diverse clientele that are drawn in, and I personally see it as a bit of a microcosm of the city and the college as a whole: a place full of vibrant diversity that is ever evolving, yet still maintaining deep and essential roots. I know it may seem odd to read so much into a bookstore, and perhaps it is, but I don't personally believe that I am reading anything into the store, but rather I am experiencing and perceiving the store for what it is, what it does, and what it could be. And whenever I just take a moment to look quietly and with scrutiny, I see the tip of a potential gem being uncovered. Its location alone is a prized one, and its type is a necessary one, as even little trinkets, games and boxes of scholastic and non-scholastic cards can shape and mold a mind in interesting and ingenious ways.