Fast food for thought?

My curiosity piqued by ath64's mention of bookstores as hotspots on the guide page, I decided to conduct a brief expedition to some of the bigger locally owned independent locations in search of Wi-Fi signals. Sadly, there weren't any-and perhaps more sadly, even if there had been they would likely not have been of much use to a customer.

I couldn't help contrasting the claustrophobic atmosphere of the locals-narrow passageways amidst too many books crammed into too little floor space-with the much more relaxed and inviting look of the big chains. One wonders if this is because Kansas City is too small a market to support an independent bookstore that could afford premises large enough to give the big boys a run for their money with regard to amenities like Wi-Fi and convenient places to sit and use it. Can anyone imagine an establishment like Politics and Prose in Washington D. C.-a listed hotspot on wififreespot and a place regular viewers of C-SPAN's Book TV are familiar with as the location of frequent broadcasts of author appearances-flourishing here? As reluctant as I am to admit it, I can't.

No, I think we're consigned to the second tier when it comes to bookstores-the nationals and their big boxes if we want all the bells and whistles, and the few surviving locals out of either loyalty or special needs such as works by regional authors or the like. And if the pundits who argue that we are in the end times of the era of the printed word are right, things are already as good as they'll ever be, and will only get worse from here. Too bad.