What distinguishes Bridlewood Mall from other malls is that it has a small cemetery in its parking lot. Nothing like low food prices and a shiny new library to distract us from mortality! From the picture above, it seems like the supermarket managed to position the word “low” such that the tombstone is a pointing to it in a somber yet market-savvy manner.
Before I investigated the library’s new location, I haunted the ghostly site of its previous digs. Looking through the window, I remembered my 2009 visit to Bridlewood Library and how I’d described a rocket made out of construction paper and aluminum foil.
The empty room was sad but it also held possibility. I was just waiting for a scene from an ’80′s dance movie like Footloose or Flashdance in which a solitary dancer turns a warehouse or some other unlikely spot into a personal stage. (Then a love interest just happens by to catch the performance, startling the dancer, who asks, “How long have you been here?”).
Shaking off the dance reverie, I took the escalator down to the lower floor of the mall. As I was gliding down, I eagerly scanned left and right for the newly-located branch. I finally spotted it between Shoe Club and Shoppers Drug Mart, and I spent a few minutes taking it in.
Bold zigzags and plywood first caught my attention. Because this is just the first phase in a series of renovations, the plywood is temporary, but I liked the rawness and energy of this work in progress.
Most of all, the energy of movement in the place was outstanding; dynamic patrons were coming and going, reading and browsing, studying and surfing the web. Every single study carrel had a scholar, an elderly lady perched on one of the blue stools in the children’s area, and at one table two young siblings shared a chair without a squabble. I even saw one determined reader on the floor between shelves. She was happily absorbed in an atlas, oblivious to the world outside the pages.
Even though Bridlewood was alive with people, it still managed to look spacious, especially in contrast to the crowded shops surrounding it. I liked the high ceilings and the thick vertical bands of colour (which reminded me of a TV screen on a station break).
In the northeast corner of the room, an animated reading circle for children was in progress. I heard one of the teachers tell a parent, “We’re playing Scrabble. It’s a good game to increase vocabulary and spelling skills.” In an enthusiastic voice, she encouraged the kids to pick out letters (like “T” for tiger) and read the words on the game board.
It was a joy to see so many families spending their Saturday at the library. Youngsters were picking up half their weight in books and hauling them to the check-out. Adults toted canvas shopping bags brimming with TOEFL guides and magazines. To meet the needs of so many keen readers, Bridlewood had lots of materials to choose from, including a large Chinese collection and books in Tamil, Urdu, and Armenian.
All in all, Bridlewood Library had a beautifully vivacious atmosphere that defied the presence of a snow-covered graveyard in the parking lot. I loved its lively, dancing spirit!