A consolation: Labyrinth suits a college town

PACKET EDITORIAL, Feb. 16

   In a community where tradition and ambiance are cherished assets, it is only natural to lament the downtown transitions that replace familiar local storefronts with new businesses and brands. As a newspaper serving Princeton since 1786, we are neither immune nor opposed to that reflex.
   So the signs of imminent demise at Micawber Books and the melancholy reaction of longtime patrons was appropriately reported on our front page earlier this week.
   Certainly, the projected loss of 13 jobs is sad news. So is the loss of a retail landmark. "I think any closing of an independent book store is a tragedy," Micawber customer Robert Kernish told staff writer Courtney Gross.
   But as we also reported, Princeton bibliophiles will still have three other independent bookstores to browse, each with a unique personality or niche. Just as comforting to Micawber’s mourners is the fact that their beloved bookstore is not giving way to a Wal-Mart or even a Barnes & Noble or Borders, but to Labyrinth Books, which positions itself as a college town bookseller and carefully cultivates those credentials on its Web site.
   As noted there, the two existing Labyrinth stores are in Manhattan, "right by Columbia University," and New Haven, "a two-minute walk from the Yale campus."
   Labyrinth clearly has no interest in being viewed as a "chain," either. It describes itself as "an acclaimed independent bookstore for engaged readers."
   This successor to Micawber will find plenty of engaged readers in Princeton. Acclaim will be something for them to bestow or withhold, as it should be.
   In the meantime, we can at least credit Micawber’s owners and Princeton University for the care they have taken to seek out the right kind of steward for Nassau Street’s literary legacy.
What was nice about the ice?
   A cheery "Good morning" during Wednesday’s snow and sleet storm no doubt ran the risk of this retort: "What’s good about it?"
   We can think of five things. Here they are, in reverse order:
   5. Winter is almost over and we almost missed it. In this part of the country, we are supposed to get snowed on a little before all those baseball millionaires report for spring training.
   4. Those of us who religiously put the ice scrapers and snow brushes in our cars every Thanksgiving need to use them at least once to avoid feeling like idiots when we toss them back into the garage in April.
   3. A brief, chilly respite from soaring anxiety over global warming might have a beneficial effect on our collective mental health.
   2. Even if you forgot to make a Valentine’s Day dinner reservation, you may still have been able to get a table.
   1. Once again, Ground Hog Day has been exposed as the dopiest of all faux news events.
   Now that we’ve gotten all that out of our system, let Spring bloom. Soon.