You should go to Badger’s

If you’ve had cable television at any point this century, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen “You’ve Got Mail.” I’m not a huge fan of the movie nor Tom Hanks in general, but I’ve probably seen it more times than I could count on one hand. The film revolves around a small bookstore that’s being bought out by a larger one. This big block of a store has lowered its prices in an attempt to eliminate the charms of all the small shops in the area. From there a textbook romantic comedy manifests itself and everyone is reminded of the cute simplicity of the small bookshop.

In the real unromantic and non-comedic world, we have not solved these problems, but rather gone a step further. Large nationwide book chains like Barnes and Noble are almost in danger. In fact, their business model may be completely invalid. If you’ve ever bought something from one of these stores, you know that their prices can border on absurd. Everyone can read whatever they want on their phone, and if they want a physical copy for some reason they can order it on that same device.

This puts big retailers in a terrible situation. They have invested years into a massive infrastructure and obtained an unavoidable nationwide presence. But all of this may be on its way to waste, as online stores experience high record sales. The internet people are also dominating the audiobook, ebook and e-reader markets at the same time. In this day and age, the small stores have found a niche for themselves within the cracks.

Right across the street from Union College, there is a place called Badger’s Bookstore. The sign on this store is not clearly visible from the other side of 48th Street, so I was unaware of it for a long time. Having recently made my first trip since coming to Lincoln, I would highly recommend this place. The whole store is very small, but the catalog is enormous. The books are used and the prices are low.

I’m not entirely comfortable with using this column as advertising space. However, it is touching to find myself in a situation where a commodity is so beneficial that I feel obligated to spread the word about it. So if you’re so inclined, I’d recommend a stop at Badger’s. Their hours are kind of complicated so you will probably have to plan your visit in advance.

By Luke Morris