The Neighborhood Bookstore as an Impact on my Literacy

Do you remember Ariel Booksellers? Well let me tell you, I sure do! It was my habitual routine to go there with my mom and choose new books. Walk in, turn left, go straight, then you are right there, fantasy world, little kids heaven, my favorite childhood pastime, the children's section of Ariel Book store.

I remember the feeling I used to get when I got a new book, a simple pleasure, the suspense for the ending, a need to get through it quickly and efficiently, but not to lose out on the main themes. Gosh I sound like such a nerd, but honestly I am proud of this trait, I love to read, I love turning over a book and reading the little blurb, it gives me tremendous satisfaction.

This book store was a culminating feature in my childhood. I literally owned half of the books sold in the kids section of the store, thus making my supply of novels slightly overwhelming. I loved having shelves upon shelves of novels however, just looking around my bedroom and choosing a new book, or a book that I had already read and loved, or one that I had read but slightly forgotten the plot. This book store right in town gave me the chance to buy my plethora of childhood favorites, but to my dismay it closed a couple of years back.

The closing of Ariel Bookstore was a depressing occurrence for me, it was like a little piece of what made up my childhood was stripped from right under my feet. The store gave me the opportunity to support the local economy, read lovely little books, and enjoy the atmosphere and smell of a store full of new books, just ready to be owned.

Now I have grown past this obsession with owning all of the books myself, and have grown much more environmentally conscious and my friends and I are constantly exchanging good reads. My love of reading, and the development of my skill level were affected enormously by being able to have the opportunity to buy all the books I could ever want, and any genre my heart desired, as a little kid. This neighborhood bookstore made a lasting impact on who I am today, and who I will probably be tomorrow.