TO THE EDITOR:
One of the most pleasant aspects of UNC Student Stores is the close relationship of the bookstore and the coffee bar, and the placement of the latter. After picking up your coffee, you can easily find outdoor seating or wander out into the bookstore and sit at a table surrounded by books.
I was therefore disappointed in Barnes and Noble’s plans, as described in Friday’s The Daily Tar Heel (April 22). The bookstore, it seems, will move upstairs, along with the pharmacy. No mention is made of the location of a coffee shop.
If the bookstore does move up a floor, the coffee bar will either follow it, making it less convenient of access and eliminating the possibility of outside seating; or it will stay at the level of the Pit, severing its connection with the bookstore. Neither is a desirable option. The proposed fireplace will be pleasant in cold months, but we do not have many cold months.
It is worrisome to find Barnes and Noble so quickly destroying some of the better aspects of the current store. I hope that it is not too late for plans to be adjusted. Bull’s Head and The Daily Grind work well together and should be kept together.
Prof. George W. Houston
Professor Emeritus
