Eric Richardson [Flickr]

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — If you were walking down Main street today, you probably did a double-take as you passed by a brand new book store. Metropolis Books, located at 440 S. Main, opened their doors for the first time today and Downtown responded by buying books.

That may seem like an obvious progression, but it's actually a really cool thing: a retail shop opened up in the Historic Core, didn't advertise, and had a decent day of sales just off of people walking down the street. That shows you a little something about how far Main street has come recently.

I stopped by the store after work today to say hi and check things out. It ended up being a gathering of Downtown bloggers, as while I was there both Ed and Brady stopped by. The three of us sat with owners Julie and Steve brainstorming fun ways the shop could create community Downtown around books and writing. Many cool ideas were tossed out, and I was excited to see their interest in really crafting the idea of what a bookstore for Downtown would look like.

I really think shops like Metropolis and Old Bank DVD have the chance to be treasures for Downtown. The nature of books and of film is communal, and in both cases I think the shops want to do so much more than just sell or rent. Old Bank took great steps toward that with the film screening they did recently. I think Metropolis, through signings, readings, etc, will do very much the same.

Metropolis Books is at 440 S. Main street, between Winston and 5th.