Half-Sour House of Leaves

Reflecting on another weekend of Week 5 of our used bookstore, I have to admit...I am getting awfully tired of people walking into the store - not responding to my greetings but looking over my head at the back wall - and immediately asking:

"Wow, is there another room or level to this place?"

No, asshole. Hello to you to.
Does it look like there is?

Perhaps I have activated the cloaking device to hide from the real bookstore from you, JUST so that YOU can't get to the other sections?
It is such a rude question, honestly, and it immediately makes me want to smack you for your awful manners.

The other rude question "Is this the only coffee you offer?"

Its free, mofo. Fucking shut it.

Sure. Our store IS small, but instead of starting off our encounter with such negativity, I wish people would take a look at the BOOKS, the REASON this store is OPEN, and realize our selection, not the size of the space, is key.

I am amazed when people actually spend time in the store WITHOUT buying a book...it may sound cocky, but our current inventory has so much of a unique selection that I honestly believe that no one who spends more than five minutes in the shelves should leave without a book!

And if you can't afford it, I will make you a deal, dude. Just be NICE. I want to share my books with you. Be HAPPY that a bookstore exists in a neighborhood.

On the flip side, though, there has been a ton of positive compliments from the locals, who seem to be genuinely happy that we have landed in the neighborhood. Most folks have been sure to tell us that the space is "cute" - which is a hell of a lot nicer than pointing out that it is a shoebox.

Since this area is sort of one that Handsome and I have only recently come to know, we really have the opportunity to meet new and interesting Baltimorean, which isn't easy to do outside of a bar in our fair city.

Size, in this case, might matter. It usually does when it comes to bookstores, and that is one of the reasons that there are only three independent bookstores in the city limits, and a smattering of used bookstores. I am holding out for the nice people to hopefully continue buying their books from us, enough so that I can continue smiling at the jerkies who care more about the size than the content.

That whole judging a book by its cover thing.