And so it goes...

[pfloyd]

This past weekend saw another Worcester institution close its doors for the remainder of time.
Tatuck Bookseller and Sons closed their primary branch on Chandler Street in Worcester.
While this doesn't come as a total shock, it is surprising at the speed at which they closed -- pretty much immediately.


Now I remember when the place was actually located at Tatnuck Square. It was a narrow storefront, across Chandler Street from a laundromat. (There's a Subway now wheree it used to be.) My Dad first took me there when I was still in elementary school. Over the next couple of years, they expanded over into the next storefront, and soon after added a very small cafe upstairs.
Mind you, these were back in the days when there weren't any Barnes and Nobles or Borders in the area. Most bookstores were small, independently-owned businesses. The only chains around were Waldens and Book Corner.
After a few years of our patronage, the business moved to its current (at least, up until recently) location in an old refurbished factory. Granted, there was lots of room for expansion, of which they took great advantage. In the coming years, they added a rather nice little new age section, as well as a restaurant. Book signings were becoming big there. A teacher's section had grown. They took over the campus bookstore at WPI. For quite a few years, things were looking up.
However...
Over the past few years, we've noticed several changes with the business.
Books were misfiled into the wrong categories.
They closed and sold the building that housed their corporate offices and book annex.
The quality of the restaurant wavered.
Their stock of new books wasn't always complete, especially in recent times.
The new age area began to shrink, first in stock, then in area.
It just seemed like the place was falling apart at the seams, and that most of the energies were being put into the new store in Westboro.
And now, there is silence.

What were the factors? The owner cited a change in the way people were buying books. The megastores (namely Barnes & Noble and Borders) were drawing more business. Internet shopping (such as Amazon) made it so people didn't have to leave their homes.
So now the money wasn't coming in. Business was no longer booming. In order to pay his employees in full, he would have to close immediately.
With a heavy heart, he did so.

Now I admit that nearly all of my book-shopping dollars, especially as of late, didn't go into their coffers. I fell in with the crowd and spent my money at B&N and Borders. While I am not heartbroken about the TBS closing, I am sad to see yet another local business fall away. I think I was sadder to see the Fabulous Fiction Bookstore close. (This place was great... old hard-to-find science fiction books, comics, hard-to-find RPG material...)
However, some good news has come about with this: the restaurant staff has been offered guaranteed jobs at the new Red Robin at the Blackstone Valley Shoppes. I applaud the manager of that establishment, and will be visiting there soon after the opening.
But, will I visit the Tatnuck store in Westboro? Most likely not... maybe if I was out that way and had time to kill. It just wouldn't feel right with me.

Comments

[richspk.livejournal.com]

For me, it wouldn't be Tatnuck without the defunct lathes, mills, etc. appearing throughout the store. I assume the Westboro store doesn't have the same ambience.