 Because It’s a Nice Thing to Do Sometimes there are things you do that reward you far more than the people who benefitted from what you did. This past Saturday gave me one of those. Three days before the weekendI received an e-mail from Borders telling me that the Goleta store, which is about eight miles from my home, is closing. Their merchandise was going to be put on sale with everything from 20% to 40% off. I called the store to ask about the discount on the books. Having followed Michelle Lee’s adventures and this Live Journal site, I understood how much a few words of kindness were desperately needed. So I started off asking not the question I wanted to ask but with a statement of sympathy. I could almost hear the tears form in her eyes. There is so much wrong in this sad debacle that I could go on and on. But that’s not the purpose of this letter. Instead, those posts and comments stirred me to action. There may be little I can control, but I can do something nice for the employees at this one Borders. Friday morning I called the store. The male employee who answered seemed to grow ever suspicious at my questions (and I can’t say I blame him): Did they have an employee break room? Did it have a refrigerator? How about a couple of sharp knives? He answered, but I could tell he was wondering why I wanted to know. Before he could ask I thanked him and hung up the phone. My plans were set. And my heart was beating wildly as I imagined his and his colleagues’ reaction to what was to come. That evening after work I stopped by a local restaurant supply store to pick up one of those plastic “silver platters.” Saturday morning, I went to Trader Joe’s at around 10:00 and emerged forty minuteslater with a full bag containing three wedges of Brie, two loaves of crusty French bread, two containers of their Salsa Especial, a bag of corn tortilla chips, two big plastic boxes of assorted grapes, two half-gallon fruit juices (one mango and something else and the other strawberry-kiwi), two pizzas (vegetable and something else), a small bouquet of flowers, and something else, I think. I drove out to the store, found a parking space, then proceeded to unpack the goodies. As I mounded the cheese, grapes, bread, flowers, and my BiblioBuffet business card and bookmarks on the platter using my trunk lid, a woman and her daughter pulled into the spot next to me. The woman smiled and said, “That looks great!” I told her what I planned to do, and she offered to help me with the two bags. I accepted. I went to the cashiers’ counter and found an empty spot next to a busy cashier, and began removing everything from the bags and placing it next to the platter. Though the cashier’s attention was on his transaction, I could see that his curiosity was mounting. I waited until he was done and asked for the store manager. She wasn't in, but the service manager was and came over. She had a very brisk manner, obviously thinking that the page for her involved a nasty customer. When she found out that all the food displayed on the counter was for the employees, tears actually came into her eyes, her voice softened, and she had to take a few moments to compose herself. I asked her to make sure everyone shared in it. As I was getting into the car to return home, the same mother and daughter were also leaving. The mother smiled warmly at me again and said, "You have a good heart." My day has been made. Quite possibly my week. Upcoming Book Festivals: Friday, April 1 is opening day for New Mexico’s Albuquerque Antiquarian Book Fair that will also continue through Saturday, April 2. Opening night takes place from 5:00 to 9:00 pm. (Saturday’s hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. More than thirty dealers in books of all genres, ephemera, maps, book arts, photographs and prints will be there. In addition, there will be a silent auction of library surplus on Friday evening. The fair takes place at the UNM Conference Center. Cost for both days is $6; Saturday only is $2. (A discount coupon is available; see website for contact information.) Portland, Maine, will be hosting the Maine Festival of the Book from April 1-3 with three days of events including the special Opening Night: An Evening with Stewart O'Nan and Julia Glass. Tickets should be purchased in advance. More than 75 authors will be participating in the entire event—and these events are free: readings, author discussions, signings, book sales, and performances. That day also offers a wonderful variety of events for children and teens. Saturday evening brings the annual Poetry Party, which is also free. Sunday’s events include the Book Arts Bazaar book artists, papermakers, bookbinders, printmakers, writers and all things related to the book as well as a dramatic reading of selections from Everything Matters!, a new novel by Ron Currie, Jr. On the weekend of April 2-3, the Long Island Book & Ephemera Fair will take place in Garden City, New York. Saturday’s hours are 11:00 am to 6:00 pm; Sunday’s hours are 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. It will take place in the Garden City Field House. Dealers in books, maps, prints, and ephemera will be there, and there will be appraisals offered on Sunday from 1:00-3:00 pm. The cost is $6 for adults, $3 for young adults, and children under age twelve are free. Lansing, Michigan will host the Michigan Antiquarian Book & Paper Show on Sunday, April 3 at the Lansing Center from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm. More than seventy dealers with one million items (books and ephemera) for sale will be there. This is the largest book and paper show in the Midwest. Admission is $4.50, though children aged 13 and under are free. The site also has a printable discount admission coupon. The Pub House: Imaging Books & Reading: Of Interest: Until next week, read well, read often and read on!
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