A newsagency in the USA

I found an interesting story by Kevin Sieff in the Brownsville Herald by about PubliArt, a book and magazine store in Brownsville.  What makes the story interesting to me is how unique the reporter considers the store.  I wonder what he would make of Australia’s 4,600 newsagencies, each offering between 1,000 and 2,500 magazine titles.

Alejandra Davila, owner of PubliArt has a good approach to retail:

“I don’t just want to sell books,” she said, “I want to provide a comfortable environment for people to read and spend time.” Recently, she started providing space for reading groups. The store also offers free wireless Internet and sells coffee and soft drinks.

I suspect Alejandra would be aghast at newsagents who have signs up in their stores pronouncing THIS IS NOT A LIBRARY.