BUT I'M STILL OPEN!

Tossing all dignity aside (dignity is not my strong suit anyway), I just found myself running out the door to respond to a passerby's comment to her friends. As I was standing here shelving books, waiting for the next customer, I heard her say "It's a shame there's nothing open. It looks like Wal-Mart has driven everyone out of business." Well, not everyone. Some of us are still here and hoping for potential customers to notice. While I can't argue with the fact that Wal-Mart has made an impact, I also can't believe that she didn't SEE ME. I'M STILL OPEN!

Hmmmm. What more can I do to grab the eye? I'm here 5 days/week all-year-round (and I respond to book & coffee emergencies if you call). I have attractive signage that screams WORD FOR WORD BOOKS & ESPRESSO, a neon GOURMET COFFEE sign, a quaint vintage exterior with outdoor seating, and an OPEN sign on the door. If you venture in you'll find a welcoming, charming interior with a good selection of quality books and a well-stocked espresso bar serving excellent fair-trade organic coffee from St.Johns Coffee Roasters, a local small-batch roaster. Besides which you'll find friendly people who welcome good conversations about books, politics, social issues, or whatever you'd like to discuss. Sometimes, if you get lucky, it'll be a day when I'm serving freshly baked pastries or cookies from Houlton Bakery or Wild Currant.

Really folks, I'm OPEN! Or at least I think I am. On the other hand maybe this is just some elaborately detailed fantasy. Perhaps it's just a figment of my imagination, believing that I exist. Have to admit, after all, I am living the dream - surrounded by my favorite things, books, coffee, conversation. Hmmmm. Well, if I AM dreaming maybe it's better that you don't open the front door and wake me. However, if you want to SHARE in my dream, by all means venture in and become part of the storyline here. OPEN, OPEN, OPEN, OPEN, or a reasonable facsimile thereof.