Getting Barnes & Noble's attention?

So, short of some kind of miracle — we're not sure exactly what kind, but we're thinking maybe a midnight ghostly visit to Weingarten Realty CEO Drew Alexander, a la A Christmas Carol — the north section of the River Oaks Shopping Center will be coming down in the next few days, to be replaced with a new retail strip anchored by a Barnes & Noble megastore. And in case you've forgotten, B&N's moving into the new store means that the Alabama Theater Bookstop will close, which will pave the way for Weingarten to demolish that historic building, too.

We've heard a lot of people saying they're going to boycott all Weingarten properties in retaliation for the demolition, but there are a couple of things about that plan: First of all, as it's been pointed out in our comments section, that would directly affect the businesses that lease from Weingarten — not Weingarten itself. And second, to be frank, avoiding every Weingarten property could be pretty hard if you do any strip-center shopping at all. So what can you do, other than conjuring up Jacob Marley? Off the Kuff has an idea:

I know that what City Council did, though it was the best they could do, was basically nothing. And I figure one good basically meaningless gesture deserves another. As such, I've done the aughts-decade equivalent of starting a petition, which is to say I've created a Facebook group called I Will Not Shop At The West Gray Barnes & Noble, whose purpose is, I trust, self-explanatory. If you stand with me on this, especially if you live in or have a connection to the Houston area, I'd be much obliged if you'd join the group, and maybe let a few other people know about it, too. Who knows, maybe we'll get enough members to make them a little nervous. It's the least we can do.

What's the difference between boycotting all Weingarten properties and just the new West Gray Barnes & Noble? Well, it's kind of a fine distinction, but Barnes & Noble is a key player in this deal because the company is agreeing to vacate the Alabama Theater and become an anchor tenant in the replacement River Oaks center — which means the company is, to some extent, involved in the destruction of both structures. What's more, Houstonist has heard that B&N has been keeping close tabs on public sentiment regarding the move, so we're sure they would be interested in knowing that they're not making any friends in Houston.

So, if you think it's a worthwhile cause, check out Kuff's Facebook group. If you want to do big-box book shopping, Borders has better coupons anyway.