Moving On

By Sandy

Moving The Galaxy Bookshop has been a challenging and exciting process, but for me, it is also tinged with some sadness. I have never been good at dealing with changes--I will always remember crying over the loss of our brown and green plaid couch when my parents decided it was time to upgrade from the hand-me-down furniture from Great-Grandma's house. Though I am very pleased with our new space, both for its location and its features (beautiful hardwood flooring, vaulted ceiling, wonderful front window with stage area...), I miss the "old" Galaxy Bookshop.

It's natural, I suppose. That bank building was my second home for the past 10 years, and though many of you will remember former incarnations of the bookstore, I only have a vague recollection of visiting the shop as a kid when it was originally on Main Street. To me, The Galaxy Bookshop was the bank building, with its vault and "story teller" drive-through window and tin ceiling and marble floor and fiction shelved in the tall shelves--'A' through 'R' along one wall, with 'S' through 'Z' on the opposite wall--and children's books in the back room, the first books to welcome me to work each morning.

It didn't really hit me until the night before our book parade that this move was really, actually happening, and the bookstore that I had come to know as well as any friend was gone. Not--as I have been reminded--truly gone, but the physical store will never again be the same. When I drive into town to get to work, I now drive by the old store and feel a pang, wishing that I could turn into the parking lot, unlock the tricky back door, unlock the second door, and walk in to be greeted by the familiar smell and the shelves of books on adolescence and parenting issues.

There are a few things that cheer me very much when I begin to feel sad and nostalgic, though. One: The Galaxy Bookshop may look very different, but it's still here! Linda and I and Stella and Claire are here, along with Howard Mosher and Lydia Bastianich and Terry Pratchett and Jim Harrison and Charlotte Bronte and Eric Carle and a thousand other old friends on the shelves. Two: Standing in front of the crowd that showed up to our book moving day and seeing all of those friendly faces looking back, then witnessing the enthusiasm and excitement with which everyone pitched in to help us get set up in our new spot. Three: Greeting people as they walk through the door with wide eyes and words of congratulations. This is where the spirit of The Galaxy Bookshop lives, and no change of address or rearranging of shelves will change that.

Christmas for Two Kitties

One of the most difficult parts of our decision to move has been the understanding that we will not be able to bring our beloved cats, Scout and Jem, along with us. We have had them for over two years now, since they were six weeks old, and they have been wonderful additions to The Galaxy Bookshop. As much as we love them, we want them to have the very best home, and the smaller space on Main Street (which also does not have the extra barrier to the street that we have at the bank building) does not seem like the ideal place for two cats used to roaming upstairs and down at will.

On this Christmas Eve, the two kitties will be going to their new home, one where we are sure they will receive plenty of love and treats and all the tummy rubbing they require. This new home is with one of our customers, and we hope that we will receive updates from time to time on how Scout and Jem are doing. When we do, we'll be sure to share with all of you.

So, please join us in wishing our kitties and their new family well. They (and we) thank you for all of the love they've received from their many friends and fans during their time as bookshop cats.

Merry Christmas, from all of us ~ Linda, Sandy, Stella, Claire, Ivy, Scout, and Jem

May Wrap-up

It's as hard to believe that it's June as it is that the thermometer is suddenly breaking 80 degrees, but that's what the calendar is telling us, so it must be true!

Here's a look back on the month that was May:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="384" caption="Our esteemed Senator Bernie Sanders made a "surprise" visit. (We learned about it only a few days in advance.)"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="346" caption="Jem entertained his own visitor. They were overheard discussing the timelessness of a black and white ensemble."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="384" caption="Ivy made her debut as the youngest member of our merry band of booksellers."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="403" caption="She is already a staunch advocate for early childhood education."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="384" caption="She also obliges us by posing as a turtle for our amusement."][/caption]

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="196" caption="We've begun stocking up for summer, with fun toys and games, in addition to lots of good reading material."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="329" caption="And we're getting ready to kick our events season into high gear with the world premiere of MAKING SUPPER SAFE on June 7. (Author Ben Hewitt is pictured here at another world premiere--only last year, for THE TOWN THAT FOOD SAVED.)"][/caption]

Farewell, Summer Visitors

Now that school is back in session in Vermont and kids in many other states will be going back next week, it's really the end of the summer season here at the bookstore. This is not to say that we're throwing in the towel on summer--there's still a lot of nice weather ahead, plus the calendar says we've got until September 23 to revel in the last few weeks of the season!

Still, it's the end of one of the busiest times of the year for us. Each year, it's a treat to welcome back the summer "regulars." Some of them are here all summer, and we see them several times before they head south again. Others are here for a shorter time but make sure to stop at the bookstore at least once while they're in town. It's fun to catch up with all of them, exchange book recommendations, and send them off with a good vacation read.

[caption id="attachment_933" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="This photo was taken and sent by a lovely gentleman from Canada who stops at the bookstore each summer when he and his family go to New Brunswick for vacation. Just one of our many wonderful summer visitors!"][/caption]

Of course, we also love welcoming new visitors, and this year we've had quite a few--some were checking us out for the first time after seeing the profile of the bookstore on WCAX, others were visiting Hardwick to find out more about this little town they'd been reading about in magazine articles and in Ben Hewitt's book on our local agricultural economy. Still others were simply traveling through and happy to find a bookstore to browse. It was a lot of fun to talk to these travelers about our community and the positive steps that people are taking to give Hardwick a brighter future.

Now, when I reach the end of a season, I'm always curious to find out what our bestsellers have been. You get a general idea, selling books day after day, but there can still be some surprises. For example, this summer, my personal pick Little Bee actually came out ahead of Steig Larsen's "Girl Who..." books! Here's The Galaxy Bookshop's Top Ten Summer Bestseller List:

1. The Town That Food Saved: No surprise here--the book about Hardwick is the number one bestseller here in Hardwick!

2. Eaarth: Bill McKibben's visit to the bookstore, along with his many supporters in the area, helped push his latest book to the top of the list.

3. Mockingjay (Book 3 of The Hunger Games): The eagerly anticipated conclusion to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy needed only a week to become one of the summer's hottest books.

4. Little Bee: As mentioned above, this was my favorite book of the summer, and I'm excited to see it here on the list!

5. If the Church Were Christian: This provocative title was read and discussed by a book group at the Greensboro United Church.

6. The Girl Who Played with Fire: Fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo were excited to dive into the sequel, out in paperback.

7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: There are still a lot of readers discovering Steig Larsen's books for the first time; I expect this will be on bestseller lists for a while, yet.

8. From Dawn Till Dusk: One of our all-time favorite Vermont picture books, from Natalie Kinsey-Warnock. The story of a year on a Vermont farm, accompanied by Mary Azarian's beautiful illustrations, is a perfect gift to take home to grandkids, nieces, and nephews as a souvenir of a trip to the Northeast Kingdom.

9. Imperfect Endings: Another book supported by an author visit, Zoe Fitzgerald Carter's memoir of her mother's decision to die and of her own struggle for acceptance is an intimate and honest look at the end of life choices we all, eventually, must face.

10. Cutting for Stone: A bestseller in hardcover, Abraham Verghese's epic novel of two brothers, spanning decades and continents, received an extra boost in paperback.

Elementary reading

The Onion's AV Club is one of my favorite pop culture blogs, for it's well-balanced mix of high- and low-brow pursuits and snark and sincerity. One of their many entertaining columns is "Gateways to Geekery," which presents a subject with high geek cult status that may seem intimidating to outsiders (for example, noir films), then offers suggestions on the best way for a beginner to test the waters. This week's Gateway to Geekery introduces Sherlock Holmes, an old favorite of mine. Not having read much beyond the original stories, I enjoyed the discussion of Holmesian "fan-fic" and was reminded that I still have to read A Study in Emerald, by another favorite author, Neil Gaiman.

As with any mention of Sherlock Holmes,  this column made me think of my grandmother. I owe a lot of my literary tastes to her--it was her gift of a collection of O. Henry's short stories and another of Oscar Wilde's that introduced me to both of those wonderful writers. We shared a love of the Bronte sisters' writing; she even gave me a copy of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by the oft-forgotten Anne. And one Christmas, I received a thick hardcover copy of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. While I'll never share her fondness for whodunits, I am so very glad that Grandma shared Sir Conan Doyle with me. I devoured the stories, from "The Adventure of the Red-Headed League" to "The Hound of the Baskervilles." I was astounded and thrilled and terrified and amazed along with Dr. Watson as Sherlock Holmes investigated and cracked each case.

Unlike some unworn sweaters and outgrown toys that are long gone, I have kept every one of the books my grandmother gave me over the years. I treasure them for the stories written inside and for the memories they hold for me of my Grandma.

Are there books that you associate with people or events in your life? If you have a story you'd like to share, please do in the comments.

Great moments in bookselling

There are a lot of reasons to love working in a bookstore--a bookseller is liable to wax poetic, and might even get misty-eyed, enumerating the reasons she loves her job.  "Making a lot of money" is never one of them, but a love of books and writing is usually at the top of the list. Some of the other reasons can be harder to quantify. For me, it's often small moments with customers that make it worth coming to work each day.

Sometimes, it's a turn of phrase that strikes me in a particular way. One customer, while perusing our shelves, told me that she waits for a book to call to here, that she was "dowsing for words." I love that image, and the idea of books calling out in special ways to certain people.

A young teen made my day once when she came in with her sister and began gushing about how she loved books and loved how they smelled. "When I'm old and crippled, I'm going to come in here and just sit and breathe," she said. It might sound like an odd thing to say, but this girl, with all her joy and bright energy, said it as if it were the most wonderful thing in the world to imagine. I hope this store is still here when she is old and crippled and that there is a chair waiting to welcome her.

I love observing the ways that books bring people together. Complete strangers, overhearing a mention of a title, might walk over to share their excitement about that book. A few weeks ago a customer asked about a book her book group was reading, and another woman held up that very book in her hand, saying, "I'm looking at it right now!" The two struck up a conversation and exchanged contact information, should the second woman be interested in joining the book group. It was one of those reminders as to why it's important for people to get off of the computer and shop locally--making connections with people, sometimes connections that you weren't expecting but that will enrich your life.

Seeing the excitement of young readers over books is always a treat. Just yesterday, a young boy came in with a gift card in his hand, searching for a book about horses. He'd just seen the movie The Black Stallion and decided that he wants to be a jockey when he grows up. After handing him a book of horse photos to look at, I did a little more searching and discovered that we had several of the Black Stallion series of novels in the store. When I brought those out to show him, his eyes lit up like birthday candles. He even had enough money on his gift card to get TWO books! That was one happy kid walking out the door, planning to start reading as soon as he got home. My smile, watching him leave, was almost as big as the one stretching from ear to ear on his face.

Working in customer service can be tough some days, but when moments like these make you say, "I love this job," then the other stuff doesn't even matter. Well, except as far as you can get a good story out of it...but that might be a post for another day.

Macmillan: Hero or Villain?

The title of this post is, for me, a rhetorical question. Despite Amazon and many of its customers crying foul over Macmillan's refusal to meet Amazon's terms on lowering the prices of its e-books, as both a bookseller and a member of a democratic and capitalist society, I am thrilled that Macmillan has stood firm on its pricing policy. Macmillan's stand paves the way for other publishers to do the same, and to assert control over their products and services--something Amazon has been trying to take for themselves in subtle and overt ways.

I've discussed the issue in the past, and during this week, with people outside the bookselling world, and their thinking is often along the lines of, "Well, publishers make plenty of money--they're just being greedy;" and on the subject of Amazon ceasing to sell all Macmillan titles since Friday, "That's Amazon's perogative." The second comment is certainly true--Amazon can choose to sell or not sell any products it wishes. Despite this particular move coming off as a bit of a temper tantrum to some, that fact remains. As for the first comment, the concrete numbers of publishing profits continue to elude me. I am not going to argue one way or the other on that issue--or on the issue of the value of good literature.

For what it's worth, here is my take on the matter.  This conflict with Macmillan (and any other publishers that come to their senses) is all about the online retailer trying to bully publishers into doing business Amazon's way. Amazon is a huge company that, for many publishers, is their biggest account, and this gives the company a huge amount of leverage in any negotiations. At least, that's how it's been up to this point. After all, this isn't the first time Amazon has tried strong-arming a publisher by ceasing to sell its books (perhaps one of Hachette's motivations in joining Macmillan's side in the e-book price war).

However, as The Amazon Kindle Team so misleadingly put it in their "poor us, trying to stick up for the little guy" * letter to customers, publishers do, indeed, have a "monopoly" over their books. That is, if you define "monopoly" as one company owning the rights to the products that it produces and sells. I think most of us would agree that, while the vocabulary might be correct in a literal sense, it in no way corresponds to the typical use of the word.

Macmillan and other publishers need to finally realize that, yes, they do own the books that they sell, and that means that they get to have the final say in how they price and distribute those books. I'm not suggesting that all of the publishers join together in setting prices for their books--that would be getting into monopoly territory, and very illegal--but they each need to determine the appropriate value of their books, in physical or digital format, that will sustain both the publishing house and the larger industry long into the future. If the publishers don't assert themselves now, it will only get harder down the road, and they may find themselves out of business after allowing Amazon to drive them down to unsustainable prices while driving the publisher's other customers (i.e. your friendly neighborhood booksellers) out of business.

More links:

Macmillan's jab at Amazon, in a New York Times ad

Macmillan's latest comment

It's important to remember the other injured party here: the authors whose works are being made unavailable by Amazon. Of course, this works to the advantage of other booksellers (Indiebound!) when authors choose to link to Amazon's competitors.

Author John Scalzi (a Macmillan author) has had a lot to say on the subject

• More here and here

A really wonderful post by a fellow New England bookseller

I'd love to hear from you on this--thoughts, questions, debate. What's your take? Do you feel this affects you one way or another...or not at all?

*Sorry, I don't buy it. It was Amazon's choice to take a loss on e-book sales by pricing them below wholesale. By demanding that publishers make $9.99 (or less) the standard retail price, Amazon is trying to save face with their customers and start making a profit on sales again.

Peace, goodwill, and plenty of time for reading

If there's one thing we hear a lot around here it's, "So many books, so little time." We've had many requests for extra time, which, if we were able to sell that, we'd probably be multi-billionaires. During the holidays, time seems especially precious and rare, so one thing I look forward to every year is the day after Christmas, when there's nothing to do and nowhere to go; I can spend all day, if I like, curled up with a book. Over the past month or so, I've been stockpiling books that I want to read, saving them up as a Christmas present to myself. So far, I've got three young adult books, two kid's books, and three adult novels sitting in a tantalizing pile on the shelf. (Actually, I did cheat a little--I opened one early and started reading it last night!)

What will you be giving yourself for Christmas this year? And what do you look forward to, after the holiday rush is over?

Happy Holidays to all!

What is "local" anyway?

Even locavores can disagree on what constitutes locally produced food. Is it food that has been grown and processed within 100 miles of your home, within 50 miles, within your home state, or within your county? For non-locavores, shopping locally might include purchasing Mexican grown watermelon from your locally owned market; books printed in China from your independent bookstore; and yarn from your neighbor who raises the sheep and spins their wool in her home. It is this type of ambiguity which has begun to present a new challenge to independent business owners.

Shopping locally is an important way to keep our communities flourishing. As our economy flounders and more businesses shut their doors, chambers of commerce and other organizations are promoting "Buy Local" as a way to prevent or reverse the downward turn in their hometowns. The question is, what does "Buy Local" mean? Just as the word "organic" was co-opted by large corporations with a nose for profit, the term "local" has become the latest catchword to be bandied about by the same national and global giants.

Stacy Mitchell, author of Big Box Swindle, has written a thoughtful and illuminating article for Seven Days about this alarming trend. If you're looking for more reading on the topic, here are a few possibilities:

Food, Inc.

Deep Economy

The New Village Green

The Transition Handbook

Lifting the Yoke

How to Make Money and Alienate Readers

There is an ongoing discussion in the book world about e-books: their effect on reading, how to price and sell them, their effect on printed books and traditional bookstores, etc. I'm still not sure what the eventual impact of e-books will be on myself and, specifically, my job, but I don't have anything against e-books in principle. Personally, I don't enjoy reading large amounts of text on a screen, and I'm your typical book geek, in that I love the feel and smell of books. I like the fact that I will never need to upgrade my favorite paperback copy of Jane Eyre*, that I can loan and borrow books at will, and that I don't worry about damaging a book if it falls in a puddle or gets sand (or bits of sandwich) in its binding.

However, I know that there are people who want the ability to carry a library with them in a small, convenient gadget, and that's great. If someone gave me an e-reader, I'd probably use it, especially since publishers are starting to offer advance copies of books for download. I have no problem with the idea of making books available in a new format (as long as I can still buy my own -- physical, paper and ink -- copy for my bookshelf). That is, I didn't have any problem with the idea until I read this item in Shelf Awareness this morning:

Amazon.com is applying for several patents on ads in e-books, according to Slashdot, which has links to the Patent & Trademark Office (oldfashioned) paperwork. One example: "For instance, if a restaurant is described on page 12, [then the advertising page], either on page 11 or page 13, may include advertisements about restaurants, wine, food, etc., which are related to restaurants and dining."

This just gives me the willies. Imagine reading your digital copy of Gone With the Wind, coming to a section about Scarlett donning her corset, and being greeted by a bright pink VICTORIA'S SECRET SEMI-ANNUAL SALE! BRAS, PANTIES, SWIMSUITS AND MORE, UP TO 70% OFF ORIGINAL PRICES!

Granted, this is not yet a reality, but I can't believe that advertisers won't be jumping all over this. My guess is that advertising might be promoted as a way of subsidizing book production in order to offer lower costs to readers (that, or higher profits to publishers). But is this really a good way to promote the use of e-books? To me, it's a complete deal-breaker. There's no way I'm going to shell out a couple hundred (or even under one hundred) bucks for the privilege of reading a book full of flashy digital advertising. I'll be interested to hear what others have to say about the matter, and to see if the idea takes off or fizzles in the early stages.




*Okay, unless it falls apart. Even then, there's nothing keeping me from patching it back together with some tape. Can you say that for your busted iPod? I didn't think so.

[Edited to add:] You might enjoy this amusing take on e-book advertising from Kenny Brechner at Devaney Doake & Garrett Booksellers.

[Update] Here's a diagram showing the actual ad layout suggested by Amazon's patent. Maybe Kenny ought to patent his idea before the big guys steal it.

And, GalleyCat readers pointed out (way back in January) that this is not such a new idea, after all. (I'm very glad that it didn't catch on the first time and hope that it will meet the same end in digital format.)

A little bit of history

Special thanks to Lorraine Hussey at the Hardwick Historical Society for researching and sharing this information!

If bricks could talk, the building that has been the home of The Galaxy Bookshop for the past 12 years could tell you a lot of stories. Most people know that the building used to be a bank -- even if you never had a savings account here, you'd probably be able to guess that after seeing the massive vault in the center of the store. Until recently, though, we didn't know many of the details about the actual building. Lorraine Hussey of the Hardwick Historical Society did some research into the town records and Hardwick Gazette archives has shared her discoveries.

A few highlights:

• The building was erected in 1893.


• The original tenants were the post office and the Hardwick Savings Bank and Trust Company on the first floor. Josiah C. Spaulding's photography business, Spaulding Studio, occupied the third floor for over fifty years.


• The Hardwick Savings Bank remodeled the building in 1920, and it was at this time that the large vault was installed. From a Gazette article of January 20, 1921:

New Quarters of The Hardwick Savings Bank and Trust Company are Commodius and Especially Fine in Every Detail
The bank has the most modern burglar-proof equipment in Vermont.

And from February 3, 1921:

In their completed state the rooms come up to all expectations in convenience and attractiveness. The rooms, furnishings, vault, mechanical equipment, change machines, etc. aid in making the institution a model of its kind and few towns the size of Hardwick can boast of its equal.

• Dr. Bernard Beaupre's dentistry practice was housed in the building for some time during the 1940's and '50's. (According to Ms. Hussey, "Any [Hardwick Academy] student during the late 40's-50's will vividly and with complete clarity remember their annual visits to Doc Beaupre! Avah Peck, area nurse, was stout enough to correct any misbehaviors!")

If you have memories of visiting the Hardwick Trust Company, Dr. Beaupre, or any of the other tenants of the building, we'd love to hear your stories. If you're not quite old enough to remember that far back, find someone who is, and ask them for their stories of Hardwick "back in the day." You might be surprised by some of the things you learn about our town!

My Internet 2.0 Paradox

Written by Sandy

No doubt about it, the Internet rules our current culture. Look at you--you're reading a blog online, where you once might have been reading a column in a newspaper or magazine. Look at me--I'm writing a blog post instead of a diary entry or a letter. How many people do you know that have never used Google to search for the answer to a question? I'm guessing the answer is few to none.

In the business world, the common thinking is that you need to have an online presence in order to stay competitive. At bookselling seminars over the past ten years, this message has remained constant, even while the dialogue changed to fit the current trend: get a website, send your newsletters by email, get on MySpace, start a blog, get on Facebook, start Twittering, start a vlog.

At the same time, independent booksellers--for that matter, all independent retailers--are trying to focus on the things that make us different from the "big guys." The number one feature that we pride ourselves on is our customer service.  What you won't find (or, at least, I have never found) at any online discounter or big box retailer is the personalized attention that you can get when you go to your neighborhood bookstore (for example) where the booksellers know you--and vice-versa--where the staff knows the inventory and takes time to help you find exactly what you want, where you can engage in conversations and bump into friends and neighbors, where you can have serendipitous moments of coming across a book you weren't even aware of, but which turns out to be exactly what you were looking for all along.

Basically, it's all about the in-person/personal experience, as opposed to the self-serve model of online retailers and the solitary experience of interacting with a computer screen. So, how do these two seemingly disparate approaches work together? I've resisted jumping on the "social media" bandwagon for several years, even while people many years my senior were telling me that "this is the way that the next generation is connecting. We have to be a part of this (insert trend here) thing." I guess I'm a little old fashioned. We had a website. A few years later, we started a regular email newsletter, and that did allow us to reach out to our customers in an affordable and simple way that we hadn't been able to accomplish before. Still, I wasn't interested in joining MySpace or blogging or any of that other stuff. To me, it felt antithetical to our way of being. After all, we love interacting with people in the store, we love the neighborly, old fashioned feeling of seeing people we know and talking to them, face to face.

And yet, I succumbed to the peer pressure: I put Galaxy on Facebook and started a blog. As it turns out, the internet is a great way to make connections with people. I'll even go so far as to admit that it can be a fun addition to those face-to-face meetings.

Why the sudden reversal? I suppose it was a slow realization--recognizing my own growing use of those social media outlets and becoming aware of the potential for reaching out to people in a new forum, hopefully in a way that will keep them engaged and invested in continuing this friendship between the bookstore and the reader. Through Facebook, we can keep people updated about events in a timely fashion. Here on our blog, we can share the thoughts that might not come up otherwise, and maybe get some conversations started. I've also discovered that people like to talk in person about their online interactions. We've already had a few fun discussions about our online ventures with some of our Facebook fans who stopped by the store to do some shopping.

So, while I still think that people should write more letters, talk in person more often, and stop texting every living minute (a serious pet peeve of mine), I'm enjoying our small digital evolution. Change, as they say, is good.

Look at us, all online and Blogging!

written by Sandy Scott

It's an historic event - the first post on Written in the Stars. First of all, I must mention that  it was  my dear friend Morgan, who, in a typical fit of genius, came up with the title of our blog.  It took her all of ten seconds to think of something that would have taken me days. Thanks, Morgan!

This is one of the many benefits of surrounding yourself with smart, creative people --you get to steal their ideas!

However, we are looking forward to sharing lots of our own ideas here, including book reviews and thoughts about the wonderful world of bookselling. We'd also welcome guest bloggers, so if you have something you'd like to share here, please drop us a line or come by the store to talk about making that happen.

One last note - we can't, at this time, guarantee a new post every day, but plan to begin by posting one to two times per week. For now, look for guaranteed new posts on Fridays, with occasional extras earlier in the week. Of course, you can sign up for the RSS feed, if you'd like to be notified when our new posts are up!