In the one of the latest expressions of "the greatest tradition of all," Barnett's Newsstand in Downtown Athens recently closed for business. As I have passed by the old location over the last several weeks, I have taken grim photographs out of a somewhat sick obsession with the empty site of a once busy location.
I have very few intimate memories of Barnett's. I can't imagine, in my sixteen years in and around Athens, that I went in the store more than ten times. Most times when entered, I was purchasing the once-necessary accessories to a night of consumption. As time has passed, any other reasons I might have had to go into a newsstand have gradually dissipated. They clearly did for others as well, as it will soon be replaced by a dress shop.
In spite of the fact that I rarely patronized the establishment, the loss of Barnett's is still a bit sad - probably less because I need it, and more because I expect it.
There is another, smaller, change about which I hope to write before you arrive. Can't wait to see you...
3 comments:
Aw man, I used to buy all manner of smokes and magazines at Barnett's.
Dave Ingram once told me that his dad used to buy his Playboys there when he was in school in the 1960s.
I'll never forget seeing Dr. Stoffel in the "Adult" section perusing their "wares." I wasn't in the section...just passing by the window of the shop. I always wondered; did he prefer Sopranos or Altos Gone Wild.
mmm????
or was it "Barely Legal Tenors" ????
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