Hand-in-hand with my mom, I walked into Barnes & Noble filled with excitement for the adventure that awaited me at the tree house. Most of us can vividly remember that feeling: the warm, yellow glow of the bookstore lights, the smell of new books and board games and our imaginations running wild in the children’s section of Barnes & Noble. Eloise, Dr. Seuss and Winnie the Pooh greeted you as you walked into the children’s section, welcoming you onto the stage to perform for your parents.
No screens. Just pure imagination and paper in between.Â
It was never just about buying a book or a random craft set. It was about the experience that came with it. Most of the time, I would wander through the store with my family, looking at all the notebooks, books, games, and toys simply because I could. I felt like it was a place that welcomed wandering without any particular agenda.
When Barnes & Noble started its shift toward modern designs, a part of me felt torn apart. I was no longer in a place of leisure and relaxation, I was in a store. The modernization of Barnes & Noble has taken away some of the soul that once made bookstores feel so special.
Why do we go to bookstores in the first place? We all have different answers, of course, but one thing we can probably agree on is that we enjoy the environment they offer. Bookstores can be places where we slow down, explore and allow ourselves to get lost. What Barnes & Noble lost through its modernization was the specific ambiance that made its stores especially inviting to children.Â
Children have some of the most vivid imaginations, yet so many are now growing up surrounded by screens. Children are getting over-exposed to blue light and harsh lighting with the rise of technology and the removal of warm-toned lighting in stores. Tablets, phones and TVs are easily becoming substitutes for the attention, exploration and creativity that children need. The warm lighting, colorful displays, books, toys and spaces to hang out and explore that I remember from Barnes & Noble created an environment that allowed us to be children. That’s not a childhood experience I would want to see taken away.
This leaves us with a subconscious need for more inviting spaces and stores. We can see in real time that big chains, especially in fast food, are modernizing their brands to fit in with today’s design landscape. What happened to color? Why is everything gray and dull?Â
These little factors may seem insignificant, but they are inhibiting the future for children and many of us have felt the effects from the changes. Creativity is fueled by inviting spaces that allow us to daydream and wander off for hours. It seems that businesses are increasingly prioritizing efficiency and trends over authenticity and uniqueness.
The future is in our hands. So, I leave you with this question: What can we do to preserve the creative places that have shaped us and, most importantly, ensure that children in the future still have places where they can wander, imagine and simply be?