Rare, Collectible, & Otherwise

Tag: McHuston (Page 109 of 111)

Reading in the bookstore?

Any number of people have told me how they’d love to have a bookstore – or work in one – because they love to read.

Here’s a bit o’ unsolicited advice: If you love to read, find a position as a night security officer or toll-booth change attendant. The only reading I’ve been able to squeeze in is my dose of news in the morning, courtesy of the screen on the computer.

Maybe if the business was in its twentieth year of operation, with every imaginable system fully implemented and every book in its proper place, there might be time to dip into a chapter now and then.

The bathrooms got scrubbed on my day off. The floor out front needed it, too. Dishes and cooking utensils were washed Monday morning, part of the prepping to get the Bistro operation lined out.

As an added feature in the new location, there is a conference table at the back of the store to accommodate out-of-office meetings and such. I sat down in one of the chairs and it wobbled like Jello. They’re pretty new chairs, but needed tightening up. An Allen wrench and twenty minutes later, the nearly dozen wooden chairs are secured and stable.

Now it’s nearly mid-afternoon.

There are two bags of books on the table in front of me that require checking in. I just finished creating a new Special Order form to replace the one that must have been lost in the harddrive crash and recovery.

Science and technology books are sideways on the shelves, waiting to be organized, along with several other subsections. The kids books are a disaster awaiting a presidential declaration.

I could list all the things on the to-do list, but I just don’t have the time to do that right now.

At least I can cross – Update the Website – off the list.

Moving day: Virtual men and a truck.

Back in the day – and fortunately I have survived so long as to be able to relate this – it was a simple matter to change locations. Move the stuff and the sign, and when the bank checks run out, order new ones with the correct street number.

Voila.

Oh, sure. There are a few minor and obvious details – like changing the mail delivery address and the utilities. Pretty straightforward modifications.

In this age of the internet those alterations just aren’t enough.

This morning, the phone rang with a question about THIS LAND, a Tulsa-based newspaper that was described to me as a local literary publication. The caller wanted to purchase a copy and was asking how to find the store.

It was clear she was looking at an internet map as she asked for details about the exact location.

When she hung up, I set aside a copy for her, as requested, and ventured onto the internet to find out whether the mapping services can be updated. Sure enough, I found that Google was displaying the old location. After logging in (thankfully the browser knew my password, for I certainly didn’t remember it), I was able to update several items associated with the store, include the hours of business – which were listed as from midnight to midnight.

Talk about a long day. I’m not quite ready yet for QuikTrip’s workday.

Now, I am wondering how many other websites dedicated to directions and information are still listing the old address.

Taking down the weathered wooden storefront sign and tacking it up to the new building just doesn’t cover it any longer.

I require a digital nail and hammer.

Meet and greet.

Sometimes you just have to smile and move on.

There are characters in the world and when the front door is open to the public, people of all sorts may find their way inside. I’m always pleased to greet arrivals, including an early Wednesday visitor.

He cruised in wearing baggy, knee-length shorts, a Hawaiian-y shirt, and sporting a scruffed Mohawk. After ambling partway down an aisle – long enough for me to get to the front of the store, he said some howdy-do as a greeting. And then scratched himself. It was no discreet thing.

It was a full-fledged right arm wraparound to the posterior, accommodating a digging sort of itch.

That completed, he wondered if, maybe, I was hiring.

After waiting an appropriate length of time to allow for the supposed consideration of his question, I had to respond that – regrettably – I was not.

He was kind enough to compliment the store’s appearance before moving on. I can appreciate his situation and admire his pursuit of a job.

But I was thankful he didn’t offer to shake hands.

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