Celebrate Your Independence with Independents

“I can’t believe you have this book! I’ve looked everywhere for it!!”

I have heard this many times and while I take it as a compliment, all I can think is

“why?”

Time is money, as they say. Combine that with the price of gas, why would anyone choose to drive from city to city, store to store searching for anything? Especially when you have the convenience of shopping locally. Sure, I had exactly what the customer was looking for, but if I didn’t I would be happy to order it. And I know I’m not the only independent business in town to offer this service. In fact, from my experience I believe most of us will do whatever we can to get whatever our customers are looking for. You are, after all, the reason we are here.

Next week Celebrate Your Independence with Independents.

I challenge you to take the Indie Challenge – use Independents Week to explore your community’s independently-owned businesses. See how much of your purchasing for the week you can do with them.

IndieBound best explains the question

Why shop Indie?
When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:

The Economy
Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
More of your taxes are reinvested in your community--where they belong.

The Environment
Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.

The Community
Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

Now is the time to stand up and join your fellow individuals in the IndieBound mission supporting local businesses and celebrating independents.
IndieBound supports Independent Business Alliances around the country. To find an alliance near you, visit AMIBA or BALLE.

Happy Father's Day!

Father’s Day is this weekend and if you are anything like me, you have yet to come up with the perfect gift. Face it; guys are hard to buy for. They buy what they want when they want it. Except for the completely out of the question gift ideas they continuously remind you of. Sorry honey, no Harley this year. Maybe that’s just the father of my children.

Books make great gifts for so many reasons. The choices are as varied as your dad’s interests. You can find the perfect title whether your dad is a gardener, hunter, fisherman, golfer, bird watcher or drinker. If he is a fan of fiction the possibilities are endless. When in doubt, you could always give a gift certificate, although the men in my life all hate to shop.

My gift buying philosophy is practically full proof – I purchase the books I am most thrilled about. If I love the book and dad loves me then he will love the same books, right?

What about you?

Have you found the perfect title for your dad?

Happy Father’s Day, Dad!

I hope you enjoy Pride and Prejudice!

One of Those Days

Did you ever have one of those days?

I’m guessing I did recently when I placed an order for a book based on title alone.

It must have been one of those days when all seven types of customers were the extent of my morning traffic.

What else would have possessed me to add F My Life to my order? It must have been one of those days if the title was enough for me to say, “That’s the book for me!”

I Do

This weekend kicks off the wedding season in my family. Many years ago when my sister was searching for her wedding dress, my mother thought she should wear something elegant like in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. For months she talked about the high necked gown Audrey Hepburn graced the screen with. My sister, not yet born in 1961 when the film was released, couldn’t picture this beloved gown so the two of them rented the movie with remote control in hand to freeze frame the desired scene. Imagine their disappointment when there was no wedding scene in the film! Right actress, wrong film. Eliza Doolittle wore the remembered dress in My Fair Lady.

Having been married now for more years than not, it’s difficult for me to remember the importance or lack thereof that I placed on the dress. For me it was more about the groom. I spent many years wishing I could marry Charles Ingalls before moving on to Fabio and then Nicholas Sparks . (Is there any man more romantic?)

Romance is usually where the story ends. Most romance novels do not include the years after the honeymoon. At some point my life moved from Danielle Steel to Dr. Laura Schlessinger, as in The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands , which my husband can attest, I have not yet mastered. That’s okay, he isn’t exactly Porn for Women , but I do see a little of Charles Ingalls in him.

What about you?

Is there a character that you envisioned as your significant other?

To List or Not to List

School is almost out.

Where are the summer reading lists?

Do schools still do that?

Way back when I was in high school I remember going through my list the day after school was out for the summer and rushing out to get the books on the list immediately. Yes, I was one of those students who did their homework on Friday night rather than worry about it all weekend. By the first week or two of summer my list was completed and I was able to move on to read anything my little heart desired, which always caused problems when school began in the fall. After reading all summer, how could I possibly remember all the little details needed to pass the exams on the summer reading list?

I don’t remember my own kids ever coming home with a summer reading list, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I suppose it depends on the student. For someone who wouldn’t read unless they absolutely had to, the list would give them some incentive to do so. How many of these kids and their parents scramble to track down the books and quickly skim through them at the last minute? Summer reading lists may introduce students to new authors and genres that they would never choose on their own. A great way to open minds, but doesn’t this turn reading into a chore?

A perfect example of this occurred in my household this past week. My daughter had to read a book for class and she was struggling with it. She loves to read and has a stack of books almost as tall as she is waiting patiently for her to inhale them, but this was a book she had to read. She put it off until the last minute, skimmed through it quickly and took the required test. No real interest, no real involvement. My son, on the other hand, was excited to be home from college and have the opportunity to read what he chose for a change. He had been looking forward to reading this particular book for months, finished it quickly and discussed it frequently at the dinner table. What is so ironic about this story? Both kids were reading the exact same book! Their attitudes made all the difference.

I am thankful I no longer have to follow a list when deciding what to read this summer.

What about you?
Do you have a summer reading list?
Will you be taking the

Beowulf On the Beach Reading Challenge?
Or will you be reading whatever your heart desires this summer?

It's Going to be a Bright Sunshiny Day

The sun is shining and it looks like another beautiful day. Occasionally I feel like I am missing out by being in the store all day every day. What a feeling it must be to feel the sun warming your winter weary face!

Times like these I tend to spend a few minutes each morning browsing the shelves and making a mental list of what I look forward to reading and deciding what to order for seasonal regulars. I know summer has arrived when these long lost friends return after eight or nine month of travels to exotic places such as college or Arizona.

The college students are bubbling with excitement at the prospect of choosing the first book they have time to read for purely enjoyment in almost a year. Many have lists they have been building since the first week away at school. They choose one or two books on their list, foolishly believing that will last the summer, only to return a couple of days later.

The snowbirds have guided their RVs back to an area that is finally warm enough to welcome them. The stories they tell would be enough to fill the shelves in this bookseller’s mind! Like how they tie a snow shovel to the top of their trailer to decide where to set up camp. "When someone asks what that thing is, we know we are safe!" The excitement of packing up everything they own after retirement to spend their days living in a trailer roughly the size of a tool shed and chasing the sunshine is contagious. They set out to meet new people and visit new places. Which reminds me why I am here. I can do those things from the comfort of this little shop. Given the choice, there is no where else I would rather be.

I'll Have it My Way!

It has been a busy week. So busy in fact that I just couldn’t find the time to replace the Mother’s Day display, which obviously had to go. The solution? Pass the buck!

The assignment: create a display. That’s it, the only request I gave to a part time employee and full time daughter. K took the same approach any teenager would – she pulled all her favorites along with books she has been anxious to read. Looking over her choices, I remarked that the display should have some sort of theme or make sense in some way. Next a sign was added to the display:

Great Books
According to K

Problem solved. But why are they great books (according to K)? Next pass of the display I noticed short reviews highlighting each selection. Some were positive:

Super wonderful fantastic book!

Some were opinionated:

100% better than Twilight (but not as clean)

And others were a little naughty:

Yummy!

Okay, maybe not the type of display I would create, but beggars can’t be choosers. The display has been quite a hit with the local high school students. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? It makes sense that a display created by a teen would be a hit with her classmates. Keeping a display created by area adults, teens and children may be a big draw to others in our community. Who can I pass the buck to next?

How about you?
What would be on your display?
What caption would you add?