I still miss the old bookstore in Asheville that closed in 2019

There was this place called Battery Park Books that had been there since the 70s. You could walk in and ask for something weird like a 1950s field guide to mushrooms and the guy behind the counter would just nod and pull it from a stack in the back. Now it's a vape shop. I drove by last month and it hit me how fast things flip. Has anyone else watched their favorite local spots disappear and just feel stuck about it?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia57323h ago

You're romanticizing a dusty old shop that probably couldn't adapt to 2020. Stores close for a reason, and vape shops pay rent. Asheville has changed, sure, but it's not like that bookshop was some sacred institution. People stopped buying physical books, plain and simple. If it was so amazing, maybe it should've figured out an online store or a coffee corner. Missing the vibe is fine, but acting like progress is tragic feels dramatic.

grace5653h ago

Progress is tragic" feels like a cop-out for letting something real die.