Elaine Richardson

Never a bastion of decorating excellence, the confines of the once-great cheapo bookseller, Crown Books, were, at one time anyway, at least welcoming.

But you've never seen a going-out-of-business sale look so threatening. Brightly colored signs plaster the windows with huge messages in vaguely sinister fonts, but block out the view so it looks like they don't want you to see what's going on inside. You're pummeled by the watchwords of pre-recession economizing: "Everything Must Go!" "Selling Out to the Bare Walls!" "Nothing Held Back!" "All Sales Final!" "25 to 50% off!"

Wait, 25 to 50 percent off? That doesn't seem like liquidation. That seems like Crown's regular, everyday prices. More than one person is inclined to go to the register and ask if the "sale" goes any deeper. The desk staff don't really care anymore: "Look, it is what it is," a grumpy teenager says, breaking off discussion on his job search to call out, "You can go across to Borders and pay full price."

There's an eerie emptiness to the store. Travel -- cleaned out. Need an atlas or a road map? You're out of luck. Bestsellers? Yeah, if you can find 'em. Pretty coffeetable books? "Oh, the art section is still pretty full," one employee says. "Lots of nice looking, useless stuff." The people -- and there are quite a few because, face it, everyone likes cheap books -- wander from aisle to aisle, looking for something they might like. It's almost sad to watch a mother read her little boy a story in the now barren confines of the kids' corner. The kid looks slightly freaked out. Know exactly how he feels.

(2001-03-15)

Also by Elaine Richardson

MIDSEASON SHUFFLE
Want a fun waste of time? Lay out the grids from the start of the fall season and compare them to what remains on the network rosters -- it's difficult to miss the sight of blood in the water.
(2001-03-08)

HARSH REALM
"The Sopranos" hits this season with a host of problems, not the least of which is the very sad death of actress Nancy Marchand, whose turn as Tony Soprano's (the ever excellent James Gandolfini) agonized--and agonizing--mother Livia helped to make this show's original run so remarkable. Without her, Tony's mother conflict is automatically relegated into flashback--no new fodder for Tony's shrink sessions.
(2001-03-01)

THE HORROR
"This is punishment for every sin I've ever committed in my life," yells a pained viewer. "It's just so awful." That's the point of B-Fest 2001, the twenty-four-hour B-movie festival and spectator sport (yelling is encouraged) put on yearly by the Northwestern University student group, A&O Films.
(2001-02-01)

WINTER WONDERS
Most of these things don't require you to stand outside -- but so what if they do? An occasional breath of fresh air might be nice. All you really have to do is run from one warm place to another, so suck it up, put on an extra scarf and take advantage of some great events.
(2001-02-01)

SPIKED
(2001-01-11)

FLAKING OUT
(2000-12-28)

IRRESOLUTIONS
(2000-12-21)

VIDEO ZONE
(2000-12-21)

ON LINE
(2000-11-30)

EASY MONEY?
(2000-11-23)

DOLLAR SIGNS
(2000-11-23)

THE BIG 3-0
(2000-11-16)

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