BARNES & NOBLE BOOKSELLERS

Sam Venable, the blue-eyed author of seven books (including four collections of his News-Sentinel columns), has peddled his published musings at Barnes & Noble.

"It's a fine place to relax, read, look at books and meet authors," says Venable.

When Sam isn't resting his eyes in one of Barnes & Noble's comfy overstuffed chairs, or utilizing the bookstore's extensive stock to "research" future columns in the collected works of Lewis Grizzard and Ludlow Porch, he can be found attempting to trade back copies of his "I'd Rather Be Ugly Than Stuppid" for a Starbucks coffee and a cheese Danish at the in-store cafe. The author offers this tribute: "I've sold books at Barnes & Noble, and I've sold them out of the trunk of my car. Barnes & Noble is better."

Runners-up: Books-A-Million and Borders