The Shop Around the Corner

In the film, "You've Got Mail", Tom Hanks plays a "big chain book store owner" who drives Meg Ryan, owner of the "The Shop Around the Corner" , a neighborhood book store, out of business -- BUT they fall in love and live happily ever after of course. Sorry it I ruined the ending of this film for you but if that is your only problem then count your blessings since book shop owner, Mr. Thomas Loome, has a much more serious problem.

Due to a 45% property tax increase in one year a real life book store in Stillwater, Minnesota -- Loome Antiquarian Booksellers (www.loomebooks.com) has decided to close its doors due to its new annual property tax bill of $30,000. The store told me today that the planned closing date is January 2008 so let me call on my readers to stop by and/or order online to help drive some sales so we can save this book store -- a great statement can be made here by market forces (consumers) to overcome the government who is driving this store out of business via confiscatory property tax rates.

What I find amazing is that if there were plans to build a super Wal-Mart (a seller of books) , or perhaps a Barnes and Noble, in downtown Stillwater there would probably be protesters filling the city council chambers to oppose such "big box, urban sprawl development" BUT these same citizens seem to be silent when a small business is driven out of business via government tax policy. I plan to visit the store this week to not only purchase a book or two but also to investigate this situation.

From my perspective this is perhaps the worst form of book burning by government officials.

Keep reading,

Todd