08/19/2013
So here it is. The shop is closed for good now, and all that’s left to do is pull down the shelves, take down the signs, sweep the floors and turn out the lights. I got through the entire ‘open’ part of the day on Saturday without crying. I was very sad, but I had promised myself I would end it all on a high note, and I’m glad I managed that.
It wasn’t easy. I love what I do, and I will miss it more than I can express. Not just the books and helping people find something new to read they’ll enjoy--although I think after a decade plus I’ve become pretty good at that--but also the sense of community and friendship and warmth that was always a part of Lazy Lion. It was an easy place to be, both for me and, I think, for the people who walked through the door. I liked that people didn’t seem to want to leave when they were through picking out books; that meant I was doing something right.
But it wasn’t me. I opened the door and gave the space, but it was the people who walked through and inhabited the space--you--who made the bookshop the warm place it was. Those of you who came year after year and laughed with your kids over books and the train set, my young customers who joked with each other while browsing classics, sci-fi and modern novels, my older customers that I could have long, interesting talks with, the moms and dads I had so many chats with about the trials and joys of parenting, the whole mix of different people who came to the shop every day. That’s what made it such an interesting place to be. It was you. And I thank you for every second you donated to making the shop what it was.
The bookshop was never about making money, and I never ran it to maximize profits. Cynics will say that’s why we’re out of business now. But I believe if I had run it like an MBA I would have been out of business years ago. Even if I’m wrong about that, I wouldn’t have wanted to be a part of the kind of enterprise that would result from that kind of management. I think people can tell the difference between a business that really cares about them and one that just wants their money, and it’s sad when we lose the former. To that end I will continue to support those businesses in town that really care, like Stick Boy Bread Co. Fuquay-Varina , Flowers on Broad Street , Sweet Creations Frozen Yogurt, and Samantha's Jewelry & Repair, just to name a few. I hope you will think about supporting businesses that you believe in, too.
It was time for me to make this decision, and I am at peace with it even though I will miss turning on that open sign every morning, unlocking the door and waiting to see who will walk in. But I am so honored you gave me nearly twelve years of time to do something so wonderful. And this is not goodbye. I’ll see all of you around Fuquay. And when I do, I’ll want to hear about what you’re reading. :)
Muirae
