An Allston au reviors

I stopped by Diskovery, the wonderful used-book and -record store around the corner from me in Allston, to give the owner, Yolanda, the four dollars I owed her for the copy of Ficciones I picked up a few weeks ago. It was more expensive than I'd expected but Yolanda insisted that I keep the book and simply pay her when I got the chance.

I needed to pay up today because Diskovery is moving to Oak Square, in Brighton, after 25 years in the same spot. The Boston Phoenix has the story here (and the Google cache is here). The store was almost empty, a shock for Diskovery, and there were a few people helping Yolanda finish the move. The new store will be a twenty minute walk, no problem really, but from my stop in today, one thing was clear -- for Yolanda the move is not in any way bittersweet.

Most of you have never seen Diskovery: piles and piles of books from the floor to the ceiling, books behind books, racks of books, slowly tipping heaps of books. At first I found it frustrating because I would go there seaking out one or two particular titles. Eventually I found it calming, almost meditative, to lose myself in the thousands of books. Now it will be a restaurant or a bar, perhaps another real estate agency, or maybe we could use another convenience store as there are only four within a one block radius. It won't be the fault of the new tenant that Diskovery is gone but I doubt I'll be the only one who refuses to enter out of spite.