Curation was non-existent at Borders, but at least there was a "new releases" section that I could browse on Tuesdays, which, fortunately for me, was the day I got paid for my line cook job every week. So there was an order of operation--pick up check; cash check; go to music store. And usually I'd be on the lookout for whatever the local college radio station was playing for the previous few weeks. I know people find new music now, but I honestly don't know how, and I think I'm too old to care to figure it out. We've gained so much with the ubiquity of the internet that I am not at all nostalgic for the days that came before, but I think there is a lot of good that comes from being at a particular place at a particular time, record shop or otherwise.

Example, I work remotely. I fucking love working remotely. I put in a solid 15 hours of work per week, get paid for forty, and spend the rest of my time working on my side business or running errands (or going to the gym, playing tennis...whatever I want, really). It's awesome for someone like me who has a lot of contacts and is very comfortable in his career. The woman who works for me? The 28 year old who jumped directly from post-doc to this company? Not so much. I fear that she and all like her are siloing themselves into a really bad situation. People need to get to know you and you need to get the know the world around you. Record shops were just one of a bunch of ways to get out and meet real people and make human connections that are more difficult to do in online only environments.