We're not thinking about the holidays already, I mean it's not even Thanksgiving yet. The corpses that adorned our lawns at Halloween are still not buried (in the basement) for the year. So no, we're definitely not thinking about the holidays, but we are thinking about some things that are holiday-adjacent.
Thanksgiving is just one and half weeks away and boy do we have lots to be thankful for:
We survived our first year in business (barely)
We have a solid idea of what Chambana likes to read (Fiction, Sci-Fi, Poetry)
We've gotten some pretty blushy write-ups and reviews
We've finally got a handle on our DOS-based computer software (woof)
We get to be YOUR bookstore
That last one is the biggie. The holy grail of why we're here, why we do this, and why it matters. We get to be YOUR bookstore! How mega is that?! We get to be here for you when you're studying, sipping wine on a date, getting your vacation reads lined up, or joining one of our book clubs. We get to be a refuge when things are hard, we get to be your celebration spot when things are insanely good, and we get to guide you to the next great book of your life.
We get to do this because you choose us to be part of your day. We are so effing lucky.
And we want to keep on being part of your day for all of your days which is why we can't wait for the holidays to get here! Our first year in business was EXPENSIVE y'all and we are definitely needing a little holiday boost in the finances so that we can keep going.
That's why we're so grateful that you keep choosing us when you need a book, a cute gift, or a cocktail. We keep choosing you right back- we make every decision with you, our community of supporters in mind. We've expanded our sci-fi section four-fold since we opened because you sci-fi sweeties just can't get enough. We've added a Sportsball section per your request and doubled our poetry section to give you more to meld with. We design our cocktails just the way we you like them, and do our best to create an inclusive, vibey spot that makes you feel at home. Because it is your home- it's your third place, the place you belong.
When was the last time Amazon did that?
Amazon will still be around whether you buy books from Bezos or not. The Literary though, not so much.
This holiday season when the shopping madness washes over you, we want you to know we're right here for you and we have a glass of Pinot Noir that pairs beautifully with "too much traffic north of town" and 8000 books that always fit.
We love you, thanks for keeping us going.