Saturday, August 01, 2009

Prarie Avenue Bookshop facing Closure

I find the lacking of a decent architectural/design bookstore in Cleveland abhorrent. The national chains typically have the same bland stuff derived mostly of books destined for coffee tables or fans of Frank Lloyd Wright. Granted Visible Voices in Tremont has some respectable titles (both books and magazines) and I haven't yet been to Horizontal Books on West 25th however one can hardly fault a proprietor from not wanting to open a specialty niche shop during these economic times in our roughshod town.

This was stewing about my head when I first heard that Prarie Avenue Bookshop in Chicago is facing closure if not purchased by a new investor/owner soon. Prairie Avenue was an amazing place to visit whenever I was in Chicago. The used/classic section was always amazing and it was a truly wondrous experience to browse shelf after shelf of eye-candy and thoughtful extrapolation. I was usually quite, well, poor (not that I am affluent by any means now), and hadn't a chance to purchase much but I always looked forward to the newsletter to see what new titles were on the shelves.

One could spend hours lounging about exploring the shop, striking up a conversation with fellow patrons, shop owners or employees who were all sure to share a common interest/infatuation with design and the printed word.

I don't know if the store will be saved and I admit to being crestfallen at the prospect of losing another source of fine books. While the Internet has its uses you can't get the same tactile experience you can from books and magazines, (or, if you are like me) dog ear pages and make notations in the margins (blasphemy, I know!).

All in all another sign that the times are changing. A touchstone for the design community slips away as architecture/design becomes more commodified and the intrinsic value of good design becomes harder to sell as corners are cut and sacrifices are expected. It will be a sad day indeed.

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Friday, July 31, 2009

St. Cecilia's Last Neighborhood Fair

St. Cecilia's "A Fair to Remember"

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2009
10:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.
ST. CECILIA CHURCH
3476 EAST 152ND STREET
CLEVELAND, OH 44120
Need more information 216-921-3310

I know a few of you may be struggling with my promotion of a local parish that is being closed down as it could be construed as some sort of religious evangelism which I assure you isn't the point. My main concern is that a neighborhood is only as strong as its constituents. Removing a shared space where people can gather and share pleasantries harms the intrinsic sense of community which weakens the neighborhood.

I admit I have a personal attachment to this particular church however I find we should celebrate all our community centers, especially as our modern isolated lifestyles have disconnected us from our real communities making them seem at times less controlled and more unsafe.

We should all lament the dissolution of these vestiges of community, especially though whose focus on the less fortunate for they may truly indicated the ruination of our neighborhoods, in Cleveland our older neighborhoods, which form the backbone of our urban core. I am sure the parishioners of St. Cecilia's and the other affected churches will find new homes to practice their faith, however they will be relocated from their own neighborhoods, the neighborhoods they have established connections with and work to the betterment of, to do so.