Keidra talked about Canterbury Books closing a little bit on her blog and it reminded me of all the good times I had at that place. It was probably the first bookstore that made me feel welcome to sit down and read for an hour or two. Not to mention, they did have a tomato veggie soup that was pretty kick-ass. It was fun sitting in the cafe, reading a book or watching people go by on Johnson Street and sipping on hot coca or drinking coffee -- or if you were a poor, starving college student -- water. I was introduced to Calvin Trillin there -- an amazing writer who turned me singlehandedly into the glutton that I am now. I never did stay at their bed and breakfast like I wanted to. Dammit.
It's weird seeing all these familiar sights on State Street closing. Pegasus Games, after losing to the Gap, bopped around for awhile, ending its run downtown at Canterbury. Now it's on the west side of Madison. Cafe Assisi is now the TA Union headquarters. An alternative bookstore next to the poster place morphed into a vintage video game arcade. While some of the changes are kinda cool -- Video Games! Woot! -- it's still weird seeing mainstays closing on State Street.
At least Avols is moving into the space. Avols has some great used books and hard to find stuff. I got copies of Shakespeare there and one of my faves -- a book of Chinese astrology. That book was bought simply for the line about Taurus/Dragons, "Nature study is in order here . . . He should never be asked to live in a torrid jungle clime or transferred to Arizona where the static environment may clamp down on his already too-harried nature."
Goodbye Canterbury. I'll miss you and your heaps of books. Hello Avols -- enjoy the new space. And keep Ancora. Coffee and books are two of the greatest things in life.
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