News that book retailer Barnes and Noble plans to open a new location next to Wal-Mart at the Mountain Farms Mall on Route 9 has recently reached the Amherst and University of Massachusetts communities.
Reactions in and around Amherst, a community traditionally more supportive of small local businesses over international chains, have been mixed.
English Professor Margo Culley, who regularly orders books for her classes in American and Women’s Literature through Food For Thought books in Amherst, said in a written statement, “these national chains contribute to the homogenization of America’s taste in reading.”
Senior English major Katelyn Ludwig said she has a different impression of Barnes and Noble, of which she said she is “a big fan.”
Among the things Ludwig said makes Barnes and Noble more appealing than the smaller independent shops is the in-store caf