[Fozzybear]

I was in one today, though I didn't buy any books as I'd just been into the library and borrowed a couple (Patrick DeWitt's Sisters Brothers and a guide book on Small Woodland Creatures).

I don't think bookshops have really deteriorated as such, though when Waterstones closed one of the two stores here they closed the larger one that actually held a decent range of books in favour for the small store on the High Street that has a pretty poor range in comparison (the old shop was fantastic as it was quite large and airy but still jam-packed with shelves of books), I think it's more that with online stores offering such a vast selection it becomes more obvious that regular-sized physical stores can't offer the same choice. If a bookshop has an intelligent attitude towards book choice and is well laid-out then it can still be a compelling experience though, there are some tiny bookshops I love to look around as they have such interesting books and browsing amazon is no comparison to exploring a good second-hand bookshop - you never know what you might turn up there.