In recent years, across Europe I have seen large bookshops, even the flagship stores of once-serious chains, become largely empty. Where once densely packed she

In recent years, across Europe I have seen large bookshops, even the flagship stores of once-serious chains, become largely empty. Where once densely packed shelves lined the walls and formed aisles, now there are half-empty shelves along the walls with just a handful of books scattered on them. The space in between is dedicated almost entirely to what I would call hipster accoutrements: vinyl records, Moleskine notebooks, fancy teapots, Kikkerland products, etc. Personally, I don’t get how these shops stay profitable. They seem to be renting a huge amount of space, presumably expensive, and not actually using most of it. In any event, going back to the topic here, those bookshops have often done away with magazines entirely. Thus, Linux Journal couldn’t have sold their mag in bookstores even when some bookstores are still around.