The Yale Barnes & Noble Bookstore got its windows back! I was afraid it would revert to the thik outer walls and darkened check-out area of its illustrious predecessor The Yale Co-op.
Instead, all that construction blockage of the display windows was just temporary. B&N is all sweetness and light again, with a great view of the even bigger windows at the Apple Store next door.
The important part of the Yale Bookstore redesign—the conglomeration of all the merchandise from two stores into one so that Apple could come to Broadway—happened months before the cosmetic windowdressing, of course. It was a swift and sure reshuffling, and I got immediately comfortable with it.
Couple of kvetches, however: I miss having the mystery and science fiction sections near the children’s section, where I could peruse them while keeping an eye on the kids. I’m already tired of browsing the cookbooks.
And whence magazines? When Barnes & Noble first settled in, they set up one of the biggest periodical sections in any store downtown (second only to News Haven’s) with its own designated manager. There used to be a dozen or so wide racks of mags. That’s now the Yale clothing-and-souvenirs section. So now there’s just three or four racks, up a step in the back of the convenience-store area near the coffee shop. Makes you want to not bother buying the LIFE special edition on George Harrison.