This is not the kind of post I want to be writing. I'm sorry to be writing it, and extra sorry to be writing it as we all prepare for the solemnity of Truth and Reconciliation Day. It feels out of place. (And today is my actual birthday, so I am having Feelings.)
I can't get around it any more. This shop is officially a Struggling Small Business (TM).
All of our numbers are still headed in the right general direction, but not nearly quickly enough to keep up with increasing costs. In the short term, as it stands we are not making rent this month. And as my recent bout with a serious illness demonstrated, for the longer term we really do need a more complete staffing plan, so that one person being down doesn't bring essential processes to a grinding halt. (I've never missed that much work in my life and did not expect to anytime soon. I stand corrected.) Moving forward is just going to cost more. We absolutely have to meet more people and sell more books.
It's not all gloom, I will say. Every single day, we do meet wonderful new people. (We just have to do it faster.) And apparently y'all have been talking about us behind our backs, in a good way! Yesterday, working the book table at the (delightful, FREE) Word Vancouver festival, I met so many people, authors and audience members, who said, "I've heard SO MANY good things about your shop!" The next sentence was often, "I've been meaning to get over there!" If you're one of the beloved members of our community who have been talking us up, thank you. It matters and we want you to know it matters. If you're one of the folks who has been hesitating, or sidetracked by life (we get it, oh yes)--well, it is a lovely sunny Sunday, so why not today?
What's next, then? Well, we really need to head this off at the pass. Our goal right now is to get to Christmas, and hope to make warm neighbourly connections with the new folks who will soon be moving into the brand-new Nolo building at the end of our block. I'm going to make nice with the landlords, who have so far been decent folk, and hope they continue to be kindly disposed. Most of our suppliers are completely current, I'm glad to say, so the books continue to flow. We've got some beautiful events planned for this month; I'm going to be hammering to get them up on the website today. I'm still a little wobbly off-and-on, but I'm here and hard at it. So all that's left to do is have a
RENT PARTY!
All books in stock, buy 2 get 1 free. Send your friends. We have some lovely fresh additions of lit and poetry by the featured authors from Word Vancouver, so you'll find a few new delights since your last visit. See you in a minute?
