Same here. I was pretty upset when the Borders in my city closed; a few years later, the closest B&N to me also shut down. 100% agree with the article writer that bookstores provide a sense of identity. I wonder if we're in the middle of a shift in how the culture chooses to do relationships - maybe the pandemic showed people that, on its own, the internet just isn't able to provide the social framework that people want? I don't know. It's probably too early to tell if all this stuff is a passing fancy, or the beginnings of a new mode of relating.