The only activity at this end of the street today seems to be a poker run. Bikes are lined up all down the block over at Plantation House, with people spilling out of the restaurant to sit at the tables in front. Luckily our morning rain ended fairly early and everything had time to dry out in time for the ride. Not many retail customers out this late in the day and I see several shopkeepers are closing up early.
Twilight fans were out though - touring the locations where the first movie was shot. Even merchants (like me) who paid no attention at all to the filming are well versed in where each scene was shot, LOL.
A gentleman from Denmark stopped in for espresso & conversation while he waited for his family to finish their Twilight pilgrimage. We talked about coffee roasting, blends & shared information about our favorites while he waited. Now I have homework - learning about his favorite coffee, Indian Malabar. According to my extremely recent internet research (minutes old), Indian Malabar is a low-acid, fairly mild, earthy coffee. Here's a link to a forum discussing the opinions of other coffee drinkers on the "monsooning" process - interesting: http://www.coffeeforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=7867
Slow Saturdays are good for catching up on shelving and pricing books, changing window displays, chatting with visitors, blogging and doing computer research. They are also rare, so I take full advantage of them.
Enjoy your weekend - meditate on the beauty of nature wherever you live, indulge in a good cup of coffee and a treat yourself to a great book. I'll do the same.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A Saturday Ramble
Today I've been looking up authors who write fiction centered on Egypt - helping a customer with a little research. It's amazing how many such authors there are - who knew Egyptology was such a popular subject? OK, so maybe all of you already knew that but be polite, humor me.
Research is actually one of my favorite parts of this job, and a useful justification for a good laptop and wireless internet as well (smile). I never have time to be bored here, as there are always stacks of collectible books waiting for pricing, and each of those has to be researched first. Although most of my sales are paperback fiction, there are still folks who drop in to check out the classics or peruse the shelves in my antique secretary, which holds some of the older or more valuable tomes.
Secretary? Yes. I have a secretary. Unfortunately it's not the kind that transcribes notes, pays bills or does filing (I have to do that myself and there's always a backlog). This secretary is a lovely piece of furniture which was originally used as sort of a desk but also has drawers and bookshelves. It was imported from Wales and has been handy indeed. It's a nice focal point for the shop, as well.
Secretaries can be very handy to have around. A friend of mine who was a dealer in Egyptian antiquities and a custom framer used to refer to his secretary frequently. We'd be visiting, the phone would ring and he'd say "My secretary will get that", gesturing toward the enormous statue of Buddha over by the table holding the phone. Jacque's secretary was the perfect employee - never argued and the only benefit necessary was occasional homage. Also, she screened his calls very effectively. She wouldn't have been very efficient at shelving books, however, so I probably won't be looking for my own artifact any time soon.
Well, the clock on the wall tells me it's time to finish my iced mocha and flip the sign on the door from "open" to "shut" soon. Think I'll amble over to the Dockside for a Lavender martini - care to join me? I'll save you a seat.
Research is actually one of my favorite parts of this job, and a useful justification for a good laptop and wireless internet as well (smile). I never have time to be bored here, as there are always stacks of collectible books waiting for pricing, and each of those has to be researched first. Although most of my sales are paperback fiction, there are still folks who drop in to check out the classics or peruse the shelves in my antique secretary, which holds some of the older or more valuable tomes.
Secretary? Yes. I have a secretary. Unfortunately it's not the kind that transcribes notes, pays bills or does filing (I have to do that myself and there's always a backlog). This secretary is a lovely piece of furniture which was originally used as sort of a desk but also has drawers and bookshelves. It was imported from Wales and has been handy indeed. It's a nice focal point for the shop, as well.
Secretaries can be very handy to have around. A friend of mine who was a dealer in Egyptian antiquities and a custom framer used to refer to his secretary frequently. We'd be visiting, the phone would ring and he'd say "My secretary will get that", gesturing toward the enormous statue of Buddha over by the table holding the phone. Jacque's secretary was the perfect employee - never argued and the only benefit necessary was occasional homage. Also, she screened his calls very effectively. She wouldn't have been very efficient at shelving books, however, so I probably won't be looking for my own artifact any time soon.
Well, the clock on the wall tells me it's time to finish my iced mocha and flip the sign on the door from "open" to "shut" soon. Think I'll amble over to the Dockside for a Lavender martini - care to join me? I'll save you a seat.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Sitting in the shade with a cool drink and . . .
I know, it's been awhile since I blogged. But then again, it's been awhile since I had anything to say. Along with about a zillion other things I've been shelving new inventory, putting away 4th of July and redoing the window for this month's focus on summer travel.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, many people are staying closer to home for vacation this year, which doesn't prevent me from displaying books on Belize, Germany & Tanzania. Ya gotta dream a little, right? Along with more exotic travel books, though, there are books on camping in Oregon, Washington and California. I have a pamphlet in the shop, "Columbia County Car Free Vacation Guide" that talks about where to go and what to see by bicycle and includes information on connecting to our local transit system, Columbia County Rider, from more metropolitan areas.
As I'm sure I've mentioned, some of our best (and least expensive) vacations as a family were the camping trips we took when the kids were little. The older 3 kids (Kevin, Kelly & Colin) were seasoned campers, although as a teenager my oldest daughter, Kelly, was less than thrilled when some of the campgrounds failed to provide an electrical plug-in for her hairdryer and curling iron. We joked about finding her a kerosene powered curling iron. Although she wasn't laughing, we were amused, LOL.
Jake & Sadie were explorers when they were little and tended to wander off and make friends with anyone they encountered within walking distance of our tent. Luckily my middle son, Colin, was usually around to help corral them. No big surprise that Jake was chosen for the Student Ambassador Program when he was 13 and got to travel to Europe and meet other students in Austria, the Czech Republic & Italy. He'd had lots of training in extending a hand of friendship while still a toddler. We met some very interesting people while retrieving our two youngest from neighboring campsites.
If roughing it isn't your style, perhaps you'd rather pick up some info about Bed & Breakfasts or Country Inns and Historic Hotels. There's something to be said for waking up in the morning to espresso and croissants instead of campground coffee (complete with egg shells to settle the grounds).
Whatever you choose to do this summer, do some research and be prepared. My very good friend, Google, will be happy to help you plan. Knowing what to expect will allow you to relax and enjoy your time off. Have a wonderful vacation! And don't forget to stop by Word for Word Books & Espresso and pick up some leisure reading material to take with you!
As I mentioned in an earlier post, many people are staying closer to home for vacation this year, which doesn't prevent me from displaying books on Belize, Germany & Tanzania. Ya gotta dream a little, right? Along with more exotic travel books, though, there are books on camping in Oregon, Washington and California. I have a pamphlet in the shop, "Columbia County Car Free Vacation Guide" that talks about where to go and what to see by bicycle and includes information on connecting to our local transit system, Columbia County Rider, from more metropolitan areas.
As I'm sure I've mentioned, some of our best (and least expensive) vacations as a family were the camping trips we took when the kids were little. The older 3 kids (Kevin, Kelly & Colin) were seasoned campers, although as a teenager my oldest daughter, Kelly, was less than thrilled when some of the campgrounds failed to provide an electrical plug-in for her hairdryer and curling iron. We joked about finding her a kerosene powered curling iron. Although she wasn't laughing, we were amused, LOL.
Jake & Sadie were explorers when they were little and tended to wander off and make friends with anyone they encountered within walking distance of our tent. Luckily my middle son, Colin, was usually around to help corral them. No big surprise that Jake was chosen for the Student Ambassador Program when he was 13 and got to travel to Europe and meet other students in Austria, the Czech Republic & Italy. He'd had lots of training in extending a hand of friendship while still a toddler. We met some very interesting people while retrieving our two youngest from neighboring campsites.
If roughing it isn't your style, perhaps you'd rather pick up some info about Bed & Breakfasts or Country Inns and Historic Hotels. There's something to be said for waking up in the morning to espresso and croissants instead of campground coffee (complete with egg shells to settle the grounds).
Whatever you choose to do this summer, do some research and be prepared. My very good friend, Google, will be happy to help you plan. Knowing what to expect will allow you to relax and enjoy your time off. Have a wonderful vacation! And don't forget to stop by Word for Word Books & Espresso and pick up some leisure reading material to take with you!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Enter Summer, Stage Right
Seems we've had a bit of a change in the weather. Summer has finally arrived and temperatures are in the 90's. A little warmer than I'd like, but maybe some of these super-size mosquitos will succumb to heat stroke. (I can dream!). I'm beginning to wish we'd gone the extra expense and installed air conditioning when we replaced the furnace in our house, but then don't want to make the wretched little biters too comfortable.
As long as I stay at the bookstore I'll be fine - maybe even work a few extra hours. Here I'll stay cool all day, sympathizing with overheated customers but protected from the heat by my lovely and much appreciated air conditioner.
I'll be happy to share the cool with anyone stopping by during our sudden change in the weather. Suspend reality with a good book, iced coffee and air conditioning. What's not to like?
As long as I stay at the bookstore I'll be fine - maybe even work a few extra hours. Here I'll stay cool all day, sympathizing with overheated customers but protected from the heat by my lovely and much appreciated air conditioner.
I'll be happy to share the cool with anyone stopping by during our sudden change in the weather. Suspend reality with a good book, iced coffee and air conditioning. What's not to like?
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Happy 4th!
The 3rd of July dawned . . . Well, I'm assuming it dawned, but haven't seen the sun yet. On the other hand, it isn't raining, LOL.
We've had lots of Twilight fans visiting Olde Towne St. Helens this past week - celebrating the premier of Eclipse and the return to the screen of some of our favorite vampires by touring sites used for filming the original. Me, I haven't seen Eclipse yet, but I'm pulling for Jake (Don't tell me!).
Lots of activity down here this weekend, with multiple bands performing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On the 4th there will be music & activities all day, culminating with our always excellent fireworks show at dusk. Come on out and join us if you're in the neighborhood.
Speaking of visiting, you might want to make a special trip down to Word for Word today. I'm featuring Houlton Bakery's wonderful strawberry scones (a mini version made with fresh strawberries) and also have some of Gaynor's rich double chocolate shortbread cookies with just a touch of salt to bring out the intense chocolate flavor. Delicious! Please come save me from myself, they're hard to resist. Coffee, chocolate & a good book - what could be better?
Whatever you do for the 4th, enjoy yourselves - and stay safe. There are many more celebrations ahead.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!
We've had lots of Twilight fans visiting Olde Towne St. Helens this past week - celebrating the premier of Eclipse and the return to the screen of some of our favorite vampires by touring sites used for filming the original. Me, I haven't seen Eclipse yet, but I'm pulling for Jake (Don't tell me!).
Lots of activity down here this weekend, with multiple bands performing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On the 4th there will be music & activities all day, culminating with our always excellent fireworks show at dusk. Come on out and join us if you're in the neighborhood.
Speaking of visiting, you might want to make a special trip down to Word for Word today. I'm featuring Houlton Bakery's wonderful strawberry scones (a mini version made with fresh strawberries) and also have some of Gaynor's rich double chocolate shortbread cookies with just a touch of salt to bring out the intense chocolate flavor. Delicious! Please come save me from myself, they're hard to resist. Coffee, chocolate & a good book - what could be better?
Whatever you do for the 4th, enjoy yourselves - and stay safe. There are many more celebrations ahead.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!
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