Saturday Gift Post--Restocking the Tables, and Resetting the Store Post Festive Friday.

Well, this is quite a weekend we're having. Being that it was Festive Friday on Downer Avenue, we hosted two events, Barbara Joosse with a storytime for Dog Parade and Erika Janik, to talk about Apples: A Global History. Angela, Edwin, and Sally set up stalls for our first of two holiday markets--the second is 12 Noon to 4 pm on Saturday, December 10. And it was Carl's last day--he's off to procure healthcare necessities for good (not evil).

Gift interlude--we are selling Folkmanis puppets very well, but sometimes I miss some of the new arrivals, such as these cardinal finger puppets. Hey, we have 'em now.

Today I'm speaking at the Shorewood Public Library this morning and the St. Robert's students are reading this afternoon at 2 pm. Tomorrow I'm at the Local First Milwaukee Gift Fair at the Lakefront Brewery (12 Noon to 4 pm) and then we have the Maryland Avenue Montessori School pajama party. By the way, both St. Robert's and Maryland Avenue are shopping night fundraisers. If during those times (12-4 today for St. Robert's, 4-8 pm tomorrow for Maryland Avenue), you would like to 10% of your purchases to go back to the school (in lieu of 5% back to you through Boswell Benefits), let us know at the register. Newspapers and markdowns do not qualify.

Gift interlude--I think our cute Santa and friends fingerpuppets are getting lost back in the ornaments. I'm moving them up (see below).

So that all said, what am I doing this morning? I'm moving around displays. We needed to move up holiday books to replace the Festive Friday/Holiday Market/Apples table, and that cleared a space for our book club table, to go back near fiction. We still have apple goodies on the pedestal table where the Junie B. Jones show was promoted, and the popular resin squirrels and wood acorns are near our stationery and blank books.

While moving everything around, I thought it would be important to do a little restocking from our overstock area, as Anne, Pam, and Bev will be too busy this morning to do anything but help customers. It reminds me of my friends at large stores that had a night shift to restock, shelve, and clean. Yes, we're not quite there yet.

And then I realized that we had missed one of our ornaments, these gourd bells from Peru. I know, not made in China. The owl ornaments from this distributor (Punku, I think) are doing pretty well, but we haven't had much interest yet in the water whistles. Do you think I need to fill them with water and let them be sampled? No, that would spread germs. How about if a few key booksellers had a designated bird to whistle on cue? I'm looking for ideas here. Stacie, this could be a video.

The good news is that I looked at my calendar, and we are pretty quiet for a few days, at least after our book fair at St. John's on the Lake on Monday (12/5), 12:30 to 2:30. And don't forget we're discussing Tiger's Wife on Monday evening at 7. No registration required.

And that's good, because all the spring author grids are due. You want events, don't you?