Immortal Trees Bookshop weekly newsletter: Issue 11

Thursday, July 12

We love chatting with you. We talk happily about you when you leave, and we look forward to seeing you again and getting an update on what you're reading and how things are going in your life. We sometimes feel like the neighborhood bar, except we offer books instead of beer. (I know, some of you are asking why not both?) I joke that we are like Cheers, where everyone knows your name.

If you didn't already know, sometimes on Saturdays (and Fridays and some Thursdays too), people come by and just hang out at the back tables and visit. The idea originally was a space for people to bring their unfinished craft projects, but sometimes people just come with their lunch or Dutch Bros and shoot the breeze. We are never out of things to talk about around here, and our topics range from birds that can imitate chainsaws to the definition of the word publican. (Nope, we aren't publicans, but again, I bet some of you wish we were.)

This discussion group-soup natural occurrence has led us to determine what to do with the month of August:

Just one big ole conversation party. Yep, for the whole month of August on every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 4-6pm, we are inviting those who want to share their noggin musings to muddle over topics we pull from a hat. (Or box or ziplock. Depends on how lazy I get about this.) We are open to any conceptual-type questions (meaning, multiple answers can apply) that we can add to the hat. The questions will be different each session so you can attend several sessions without having the same questions. I can see times where we will only get to one question because the conversation goes down a delightful rabbit hole. Or maybe some of the questions fall flat (don't shoot the messenger/piano player/question creator aka me), so we have to hopscotch through a few to find a winner-winner chicken dinner prompt.

Wanna join us? Look for the registration to show up soon on our website. (Hold your horses, I'm not there yet.) We think we wanna cap it at 15. What do you think? We hope you join us for at least one. You are our entertainment. Keep us sane. Please and thank you.

PUBLISHING WORKSHOP EVENT: July 27

Don't let the Muggles get you down

The other night, Mr. Bookshop and I happened upon an old recording of Tim Allen's stand up routine. Tim talked about how he thought his wife was a magician because she could twist the towel around her hair or around her body and it would stay put no matter what she did. He was amazed by her special skill. I looked over at Mr. Bookshop, and he was nodding and agreeing with Tim. I never thought of it before; is it weird woman magic? I can do it, and I'm pretty sure every gal I know knows how to do it. But guys think we are towel wizards.

So then I started thinking about whether or not I had other skills (or magic) that maybe most people didn't have:

1. I can snap my fingers really loudly. My scholars were always amazed and would then try to snap just as loud. I am still reigning champion of classroom A-119.

    

2. I create words as I speak. They are sometimes variations on a word. (For example, if I stepped in a puddle, I might explain to someone that I got muddle-puddled.) Sometimes they are random sounds or exaggeratedly mispronounced, Dr. Suessical words. ("The bolt was stuck, so I just used one of those rachermawits". I'm don't know why I do it, and most of the time, I don't even realize I do it until someone points it out.

    

3. I can do this weird dead finger thing with the end joint section of my fingers. Come in and ask, and I will show you. It grosses people out.

Are these special skills? They are, for the most part, completely useless. (The snapping came in handy in the classroom to get behavior back on track, but bookshop customers and strangers in the grocery store prefer me not to snap my fingers at them.)

What are your party tricks? Is there anything people comment on after you do it? Do you fart every time you sneeze? Can you sneeze on demand? Can you carry on conversations with animals? Can you drink from the far side of the glass and not spill? (Did you just go and try to do it?)

You can Google something like "useless talents" to see if maybe you have a talent you didn't realize was noteworthy. I discovered quite a few sites listing people's magic. I have put a link below to one I thought had some pretty cool skills.

And, as always, we support you and your unique ways. We love it when people come in a share. Come show us your superpower. (Well, maybe not the farting/sneezing one.) Happy magic making!

Saturday, July 22: Christmas in July!

Reaching out to our community

We are looking to reach out to more people through newspaper and magazine paid advertising and then hopefully hire a few employees so we can plan more events and programming for our shop. We are asking our community to help us out by spreading the word about our Go Fund Me account. You can read all about our shop and our plan to use the funds at the link below. (I took the previous really long-winded descriptions from previous newsletters out so I could add new stuff to this newsletter.)

Thank you, as always, for supporting us!

Editor's last words: Love-Hate Relationship

Ah, Amazon. Today is PRIME day. And on July 16, Amazon will be celebrating its 28th birthday. Before I became a bookshop owner, I looked to Amazon more and more each year so I could find unique gifts (and to be completely honest, so I didn't have to go out in the world). This massive digital shopping mall made it possible for me to buy items from different countries (that I couldn't find here in town) and even gave me free, unlimited shipping with a membership. And then I opened a brick and mortar bookstore with Amy.

I had heard that Amazon had an impact on physical, independent bookstores, but I didn't know until I looked it up how many bookstores have gone out of business. It's not all Amazon's fault. Times are changing: technology brings both written and visual text options to our fingertips in seconds for free. Classrooms use sections of texts photocopied for students so parents or districts don't have to purchase the full book/novel. Curriculum seems to be moving more and more toward non-fiction even in English classes because those-who-know-better (or pay teacher salaries) sometimes feel like fiction is a waste of time. Why read a physical book when you can read it digitally, or even better, just watch the movie/documentary version on Netflix? No one has time for a full novel these days, right?

On the flip side, Amazon does have it's perks for books. Independently published books, like most of the local authors we support here at ITB, can be purchased on Amazon in both physical and digital forms. Publishers have become very, very picky about what writers they want, and more and more, in places where new books are sold (Target, Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Costco), the authors are names of people we already know (presidents/first ladies, Stephen King, James Patterson, Cooking Network stars). Where are the new writers? They are bypassing the editor/publisher and just doing it themselves. I am thankful for Amazon for budding writers to have a place to promote their creations. We have a lovely collection of local authors (most self-published) that you can preview before purchasing (something special about purchasing books in person that you can't do on Amazon.) I cannot be objective, but IMHO, our little shop is currently overflowing with talent.

So what am I saying today? As a consumer, I haven't stopped shopping on Amazon. I like the convenience and the variety. But as a shop owner, I am aware that, like me, there are others who look to find unique, inexpensive gifts and books, so Amy and I try to select items and artisans who offer something different. I try to encourage people to start here at our shop or any other local shops to not only support the business owners, but support the idea of purchasing something special in person.

We aren't the only used bookstore in town, but there aren't many of us. And there aren't many in the country. I have shared a link below of the impact Amazon may have had on physical bookstores since Amazon opened in 1995. Consider starting your journey at a physical, specialty shop (especially bookstore) before turning to Amazon. You will be appreciated more than you could ever imagine. Thank you for helping us keep our dream alive.

Happy shopping!

~ Charity and Amy (and Jack and Toothless)