Dear Liza,
After months of hard work by lots of people (especially Auntie Katie), Books with Pictures had it’s Grand Re-Opening this past Saturday night. It was a humdinger of a party!
The store looked wonderful, outside and in. The mint I planted is still a little scrawny, but a friend donated potted plants to give away, and they filled in the broad sidewalk nicely. Chalk drawings encouraged people to do their own art.
Inside, food from The Nerd Out (thanks, Mitch!) and beer from a local brewer helped feed the crowd. I met so many people!
Conch, who runs a local podcast, has been promoting comics shops, including Books with Pictures, for years.
Besides people eating, drinking and chatting, people were buying comics! Hooray for retail! Because as much as the shop is the center of a vibrant community, it is book sales that pay the bills.
Downstairs, a really interesting, quirky record shop called My Vinyl Underground has opened up and was full of folks looking for old, new, or unusual records. I found a Vickie Lawrence record my mom had back in the 1960s, and Grandpa Nelson saw a record of Yom Kippur songs. Now, THAT’S unusual.
Auntie Katie was in the middle of all this hubbub, making sure the food was managed, people had wine, and everyone got talked to.
We didn’t stay long, because it was very crowded, but later on there was a drawing contest. I’m sure everyone had a good time.
Congratulations, Auntie Katie! Long live Books with Pictures!
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 