A NEW ATTITUDE

Until recently I've been taking this business far too seriously - looking at operating a bookstore/espresso shop as if I was hoping to trade shares on Wall Street, stressing about the continuing downhill slide of the economy. I've made some adjustments in my thinking now - accepted reality. I am a small, independent bookstore/espresso shop and have built-in limitations. I am not part of a chain, not a brand name, not providing a necessary commodity and not going to get rich at this anytime soon. I am what I am. This is a time for small business owners like myself to analyze who they are and decide who they want to be, and I have. This is a time to hunker down & make the best of having a small-town business in a diving economy, and I will.

Kindle & its clones get blamed for stealing the business of small indie bookstores, and although we've seen some loss of revenue I think in some ways we are overreacting. Our customers don't come to us just for the products we sell. Our customers come to us because we offer something they can't get through Amazon. We are the bartenders, psychologists & "Dear Abby's" of our biz - and that kind of personal interaction can't be replaced. We know our customers personally, we hear the stories about their children & hopefully help them through some of the challenges. We hear the happy stories and we hear the sad ones. Marriages, divorces, lawsuits, graduations, family celebrations, births, deaths - we listen to all the shared experiences and become part of a support group for our customers. When they come to us for books or coffee they are visiting us as friends, not just retail merchants or purveyors of our product.

And so I've adjusted my attitude. Ultimately I am here not to make a fortune, but because I love being part of this community. I love being that person who cares about the people I meet and I look forward to talking with the people who walk in this door. It doesn't matter whether they are looking for books, coffee, sparkling conversation (more available some times than others) or just someone to listen. I love being here and being a resource. And if I'm very, very, lucky I'll be able to make a living, doing what I love.