The Diary — May 9

Things are falling into a regular rhythm as the second full week of business here at River City Reading Room comes to a close.  Weekday mornings are fairly quiet. By 9:30 am, I have placed the sandwich board, bistro table, and chairs outside in front of the store.  When the weather allows, I settle in at the bistro table with a coffee from CxT down the block and watch downtown stir. There is a flurry of people rushing to the county courthouse for the first court call of the day. As that rush subsides, I flip the “Closed” sign to “Open” and the day begins.

On weekdays, most customers visit between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm as folks take advantage of their lunch breaks to do a little browsing and shopping.  Some days, there are visitors between 5 and my 6 pm closing time.  Business very much depends on the weather.  Gray, cool, rainy days typically mean fewer visitors. 

During the quiet parts of the day, I post on Facebook, answer emails, place new orders for books, work on financial reports, tidy up the store, plan events, and sneak a late lunch at my desk.  Occasionally, I also have the chance to read, which I view as an essential (and very fun) part of my job description.  On Saturdays, there are more morning visitors. Quiet Saturday afternoons provide opportunities to prep the store for the week to come.

This past week it has been a pleasure to welcome new visitors as well as returning customers.  I am always impressed with how widely and deeply folks have read.  There was even a min-run on Dostoyevsky!  There was also time to sit on the couch and chat about books, our city, and the world.  So this week, please consider dropping in.  I am always up for a good book suggestion and some conversation.