Laredo Texas is soon to become the largest U.S. city without a single book store in it. The city’s population is over 25000 and still B Dalton will be closing the doors to the only book store in town. Paul J Weber of the Associated Press reports that “The B. Dalton store was never a community destination with comfy couches and an espresso bar, but its closing will create a literary void in a city with a high illiteracy rate. Industry analysts and book associations could not name a larger American city without a single bookseller.” Residents young and old have pleaded with Barnes and Noble to come to their region says Weber but that will take nearly 18 months to happen. What causes such a monpoly of industry like this to take place? The negatives are now clearly visible as Laredo is left without a book store of any kind for a minimum of 18 months. But is another large chain store the answer?
The Texas Booksellers Association may be an important piece to this puzzle. “The primary goal of the Association is to join together and represent local booksellers and supporters of the book community in their efforts to cultivate interest in literature, in book collecting. We share the common goals of cultivating appreciation of books and the written word in the community, maintaining the vitality of the independent book trade, and promoting ethical trade practices.” says the TBA website.
According to Paul Weber “Maria Soliz, Laredo Public Library director, is leading the charge to get a bookstore back. The city’s library system was already planning to open two more branches over the next two years to meet demand. That’s in addition to the two-story main library painted in bold, Mexican-inspired colors that serves about 400,000 visitors annually.” With the clear presence of readers in the city of Laredo its a wonder there is a lack of small businesses that cater to the readers.
The current situation in Laredo raises some important issues for maintaining literacy and in regions of the U.S. Teamwork and partnership across business, county and state lines may be part of the solution.
Dandelion Ink 