Saturday Gift Post--Open for Easter, Flowers, New Stuff from Kikkerland.

Did I mention we are once again open for Easter from 10 am to 5 pm? No. Did I forget to mention it in our last email newsletter? Yes. Why do I do this to myself? I'll be here with Stacie and Halley. There will probably be dancing.

I was working today too, in fact, and our friends Catherine and Doug brought us congratulatory flowers for the lovely story in Milwaukee Magazine (the April issue), which landed this week.  It's a really, really, really nice story and we're very grateful. The flowers also reminded me that I've been so busy with events his spring that I've been a bit remiss about bringing in spring seasonal gift items for sale.

First of course, I had to restock the basics--in the last week I ordered a half dozen card lines and Moleskine journals, which had a stock-up offer. Knowing that we had a good amount of kids' stuff in stock, including a new Melissa and Doug order that just came in featuring outdoor activities, I went with a few of the adult gift staples that we've done well with, like Streamline and Kikkerland. We also placed our first DCI order. Yes, I know this stuff is all pretty similar, and a lot of other retailers in Milwaukee carry them, but you can make it your own by being somewhat choosy

The Kikkerland came very quickly, and probably the most bookish items was what I call Bookmark Boy. His fat shoes stick out of the bottom of the book. We also got a new assortment of head scratchers. This time it's the "rainbow" variety. And while I was sorting things out, I realized I was planning to put out the grow-your-own potted herbs at the beginning of the month. Oopsy!

I forgot just how festive a weekend shift can be (I'm usually still here, but I'm not on the floor as much) with a visit from our friend Stu and his son Jonathan. Stu's an old rep friend of mine, who was a very closer friend of David Schwartz. The best thing about retail is that people know where to find you. I suppose that could be a really bad thing too, but I haven't had to deal with the downside of this dilemma too much, thank goodness.

Before tomorrow's shift, I must work on our weekly bestseller lists and write up Sunday's blog. I'm also hoping I'll be able to make headway into the 300+ pages of manuscripts and galleys I've agreed to read for an independent bookstore project. But wait, I also have to finish Jennifer Dubois's A Partial History of Lost Causes for Monday night's book club. The good news is that I am enjoying the book, which will make it go faster. The bad news is that there's a lot more to read.