(UPDATE: In October, 2008, new ownership promised to maintain the store’s essential character – phew!)
Woke up and received a slight slap in the face as I read the morning paper today. Seems that Frank Kramer, owner of the very fine Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Ma., is planning to sell his establishment. Make no mistake: Kramer’s smallish store, founded by his father in 1932 and not affiliated with Harvard University, is one of the remaining great gems of the neighborhood.
Used to be, when I was a young lad paying 25 cents for the bus ride in to Harvard Square, that the place was an intellectual hot house, with book stores and record shops and all sorts of grungy, character-building one of a kind, hole in the walls. But 25 years of intense yuppification has completely changed the environs. Reading International, Penguin Books and the Paperback Booksmith were early casualties, followed by the tightly-shelved but well-stocked Wordsworth across the street which finally gave up the ghost in 2004. Plenty of less bookish Harvard Square institutions that I frequented regularly have disappeared as well, like the tiny Tasty Diner, Pizzeria Regina and Elsie’s Sandwiches.
There’s no guarantee what will happen next to HBS. Maybe it will turn back the tide of history. I’m sure Kramer wants to sell to somebody who’s simpatico with his tastes in books and retailing. But you never know. My darkest fear is that the store is sold to some real life version of Joe Fox, the ruthless book superstore owner played by Tom Hanks in the movie You’ve Got Mail.
As an aside, that little block of the Square around Mass Ave and Bow Street seems to have a powerful anti-yuppification field. In addition to the HBS, its neighbors, Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage and the Hong Kong chinese restaurant also stand just as they did 20 plus years ago. Nearby, Oona’s used clothes (loved by Yelpers) and Cafe Pamplona (famous enough for Wikipedia) are equally untouched. There’s not many other blocks within a mile or two in any direction that remain as they were, thanks to the endless expansion of chains like Starbucks, CVS and Origins not to mention the innumerable bank branches which have spread like Kudzu.
Three survivors worth mentioning: the amazing imported chocolate selection at Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe, the delish ice cream at Herrell’s and the comic book fan’s paradise Million Year Picnic. Giant newsstand Out of Town News still stands, though I no longer need a fix of out of town news on dead tree pulp.
But I digress — the great value that HBS provides, and that Wordsworth and its kin also offered, is focused squarely on reading, specifically what to read. Amazon.com is fine with its computer generated suggestions and Barnes & Noble has all the best sellers fit to print. But only at HBS and its ilk do I find tables of recently released obscurities in the spotlight, staff-written recommendation notecards taped on shelves across the store and a cadre of knowledgeable, intellectual staffers ready to assist if I look the slightest bit lost or needy.
I had high hopes that the Internet, or more recently, the socially-oriented Web 2.0 Internet, might somehow aid me in the never-ending search for what to read next but my dreams remain unfulfilled. After almost a year of using GoodReads, and its Facebook widget, I’ve gotten a total of zero new leads of what to read. Seems it’s more like a book club for people in disparate locales and none of my friends are on it. I haven’t given up hope — I’m still logging books there, writing short reviews and even added a blog widget (look right) so you all can see what I’m reading right now. But so far it’s been all give and not much give back. Hrumph.
Perhaps some will take me to task for bemoaning the potential demise of an old-fashioned bookstore when I’m a raving electronic-book loving fan of Amazon’s Kindle e-reader. But those folks are missing everything that I’ve tried to say is great about the Kindle — its primary audience is avid readers who happen to use gadgets, not gadget geeks who happen to read a few books. I want books on paper, books on screens, I’ll even read books printed on blue jeans (cheap joke for a rhythm, I know)
And by the way, one big part of shopping at HBS is almost exactly the same as shopping at the Kindle wireless store. I see an interesting title, I pick it up and open to Chapter 1 and start reading. Of course on Kindle, I have to wait the 1.5 seconds to download the free sample first chapter. Then again, Kindle also lets me see reader reviews, other books by the same author and so on. I can only hope that technological, Internet-y progress picks up the pace or I’ll be left wandering the virtual aisles with a glazed look and no one to guide me.
p.s. Refreshed some of my memories of the old Harvard Square here. The guy has pictures! Blogger Richard Tenorio also reminisced about the demise of “old” Harvard Square.
(All photos snapped with the trusty Canon SD400. More here.)
Leave a Reply