Rare, Collectible, & Otherwise

Tag: booksellers (Page 12 of 92)

Buckets O’ Fun.

Books and water don’t mix well. The repair to the roof was made, but unfortunately, the success of that work isn’t known until it is tested by a good rain.

Well. We’re having a good rain.

The buckets and cans are situated and the floor is drying out. The spot where the water was coming in earlier might be plugged, but it seems to have moved a bit downstream. It’s lucky that the drips aren’t coming directly down on the bookshelves.

But.

There were some books displayed on the conference table that aren’t going to make it and some paperback westerns that were awaiting my attention will now be herded to the west – out to the dumpster.

aRoofDrip

I’m happy that several one-of-a-kind books that were in the immediate vicinity were spared. All in all, perhaps two dozen are headed to that great library in the sky.

Strangely, the torrential rain on Saturday stayed outside the building (or maybe it was just collecting itself for a later release). It does seem that when wind is added to the equation the water is more likely to find its way to the floor.

So, the trash cans and the mop bucket are called into service and those newspapers that I was supposed to drop at the recycling bin are working to sop up the standing water.

Don’t take it as whining on my part. I know there are plenty of folks who are having a tougher time with the weather this weekend. (I passed by two cars who went into the highway median ditch in separate accidents on Saturday, and the strange mixture of inclement weather across western Oklahoma and Texas has been a nightmare.)

Losing a few books isn’t fun for a book person. But I feel lucky enough as it is.

Glad I decided to come down and check on the bookshop on my Sunday off!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow OK!

Outside the rain begins…

Holiday Road Trip!

And the drive back to Broken Arrow made me long for something soothing – like a Stephen King novel. Talk about a white-knuckle ride… our weather forecasters hit the mark and the deluge came as predicted, creating highway visibilities of about two car-lengths.

But, it was a great holiday break! And I hope your own celebrations were filled with as much happiness and camaraderie as ours was.

aSparkleBook

I love seeing so many traditions being carried on, and the beginning of new family customs to be associated with the holiday season. It can sometimes be a time when stress slips in amongst all the good feelings, and I hope as you look back on the season you’ll recall nothing but good times.

On to the New Year!

We’re having a rare break from the day-to-day, but we’ll be serving at lunchtime on Monday, so – come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main St. Broken Arrow OK!

The Main thing.

It’s clear that Broken Arrow wasn’t just a one-horse town. I can see five or six in the picture, pulling wagons through the heart of the Rose District. We don’t see those except on special occasions, these days.

Main Street has changed a lot over the ten years we’ve been selling books here, but some things are pretty much as they were back in the horse and buggy days.

baVintageTavern

If you look closely at the image (click on it for a larger view, courtesy of the BA Historical Society by way of the Ledger newspaper) you can recognize the Main Street Tavern’s brick building centered in the background. I once mentioned to the building’s owner that he had lost the pointy-thing on the roof. He assured me that it wasn’t lost at all, but was simply in storage. He said he was worried it might fall off and land on someone.

He was kidding, I think.

The building was constructed to house a bank, but these days it is home to some upscale dining with an interior and menu of the sort you might find in Dallas or Kansas City. It has been an anchor for the developing Rose District with its continued popularity, but there were plenty of evenings when The Tavern was the only establishment with the lights still on.

The north corner of the intersection – on the other hand – bears no resemblance at all these days to the structures in the picture. I’m sure it’s more readily visible in the photo down at the museum, but I can only make out the words “Meat Market” on the sign where the book shop’s awning and signage are today. By 1930, the market was known as Bynum’s Mercantile.

Books and lunchtime fare have replaced the mercantile offerings and butcher shops, but we still love our parades down Main Street. Horsepower has replaced the actual horses for the most part.

And – thank goodness – we’ve got a little pavement down Main Street these days. (Can’t imagine trying to keep the floors clean when it rained back then.)

Lori Lewis is in charge of the town’s history, and has just been elected to the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Museums Association. Her articles about the “good ol’ days” of BA are a regular feature in the Broken Arrow Ledger and help us to appreciate how far the little town has come along since statehood.

Broken Arrow is already one of the larger cities in the state, with what has to be the largest high school enrollment in Oklahoma. The Rose District is making its own history, and – I’m happy to point out – our Main Street is home to the only bookstore and Irish Bistro in the Midwest.

So, saddle up quick and – come visit!

McHuston

Booksellers & Irish Bistro
Rose District
122 South Main Street, Broken Arrow OK!

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