The two don’t mix well. At least, from the ‘behind the counter’ perspective. Having a good book to curl up with on a snowy day rates right up there with hot dogs at the ballpark, as any booklover would attest, but there are few store visitors with snow on the ground.
De-snowing the car to get to the store is chore enough. Sitting all day in library-silence is another. The parking lot has had a few cars. It is plowed and ready. Until we feel a confidence about getting out, though, there won’t be a lot of traffic.
The Chamber of Commerce is estimating that millions of dollars a day in local commerce are being lost due to the storm. The food industry is immune. We have to eat. There are lots of others in the boat with the bookstore. The specialty shop neighbors and hair salon employees have no income when the doors aren’t open – or when they’re open but no one comes in.
Springtime cannot come soon enough for this small-time retailer.
In the meantime, read a good book, or curl up with your computer and Inlandia Press: Tulsa’s Independent Publishing Voice.