I don't understand the dynamics of the mega sized shopping centres. There are businesses in the centres that appear to me to be thriving and always full of purchasing customers that come and go like zephyr breezes on a summer night and then there are businesses that never seem to have a customer present that remain open in the centres year after year.
My nearby mega centre at Bondi Junction contains one of those enormous American bookstores, Borders, that is always alive with customers and seems to cater for every type of interest in books, magazines, discs and moving pictures. It even has its own Gloria Jeans notwithstanding that Gloria also exists in its standalone form not that far away in the same centre. Borders is enormous and occupies several floors of the centre.
Now a Dymocks bookstore has opened in the same corner of the centre and one floor above Borders. It is little more than an alcove in comparison with the huge star spangled neighbour.
Dymocks has been an iconic bookstore in Sydney for as long as I have been alive, especially its large city store (pictured) that for many years was (or at least seemed) the largest of its type anywhere in Sydney. But Dymocks and its erstwhile competitor, Angus and Robertson, seemed to have slowly slipped off the radar ever since Borders and its ilk arrived on our shores.
I wonder how Dymocks will fare at Bondi Junction especially in such close proximity to the behemoth nearby?
A Singaporean student friend arrived in Melbourne to study and he was so excited by being able to go to Borders. It was a few years ago and I suppose Borders is in S'pore now. I don't remember Dymocks being here twenty plus years ago. They must have expanded south I think. In Melbourne's Lygon Street at very traditional and respected independent bookshop, Readings, sits across the road from Borders. It seems they both survive well enough. We never visited Bondi mega centre. I assume it is the same as the rest. R used to work in Grace Brothers at the Junction.
ReplyDeleteI take minimal issue with Borders, although they never have what I damn well want, although I can order it from OS if I want... Bah.
ReplyDeleteAlso never ever step foot in Gloria Jeans, their profit helps to fight the war against fags.
It seems that there's no ability to comment (once again) on your most recent posts. I'm able to comment here because there are already some comments and therefore a link to click on. But there's no comment link on the last two.
ReplyDeleteYou're having a technology hiccup, it seems, with blog and phone. Ah, modern life!
Thanks wcs - you gave me the clue. Problem solved - until next time, lol.
ReplyDelete