One + One Sometimes = Three

Well, the two city colleges no longer have bookstores on campus. What they do have may be unique in this country: A shared bookstore located in the center of the city, in the building's basement, with a regular Barnes & Noble bookstore and Starbucks to be established on the main floor open to the public. B&N will run the entire operation.

The man from B&N said he never heard of any cooperative like this between two colleges, much less having the store downtown and combined with a regular outlet. It should be a magnet for people who work in center city. The two colleges, B&N and the Chamber of Business and Industry all chipped in, one way or another, to make it a go; all will benefit from the income.

The colleges are each about one block or so north and south of the store, probably closer than you would find on a large campus. Despite their proximity (and I think I've mentioned this before), the city is still debating as to whether or not this is a college town. Maybe when the students start passing green stuff at the store, then going across the street to the record store and passing a little more green, people will get the hint.

One college bookstore, plus one college bookstore, equals two of them plus a general-interest store. I never was good at math, but you get the idea.