Madison Doppleganger

So, we were walking in downtown Madison this past weekend (thanks, Brad, for minding the store!), when we looked down a side street and saw this sign:
 

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Someone stole our store! And relocated it to Madison!

But then we investigated a little closer:
 

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Turns out, it was just a coincidentally named B&B next to the fine independent book store A Room of One's Own. We stopped in and talked with the staff, who were funny, pleasant, and knowledgeable. They gave us a few pointers that we are going to try out at the Canterbury (like having a bed and breakfast above it! Just kidding. Maybe.).

The physical space of A Room of One's Own is amazing too! It is well decorated and arranged, with a series of rooms containing different genres niched off from the main entrance hall. If you are ever in the Madison, WI area, you should totally check it out. Becky left with a compilation of Native American oral histories, and I left with the Hugo Award winner Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor.

Thank you for a great start!

We have been recovering from an amazing weekend. The encouragement, participation, and enjoyment from our community was stunning.

It started on Friday with a visit from members of the Delta County Chamber of Commerce. Dennis LaMarche showed us the ropes (or the ribbons, as it were), and we got to meet a number of inspirational characters from the business community. 

On Saturday we opened shop to the sounds of the Red House Ramblers, the premier dixieland band in town. Pearson Asbestos graciously halted the demolition of 910 Ludington in order to hear them better.

Throughout the day we enjoyed coffee from UP North Roast and cupcakes from Tiny Kitchen Cupcakes. If you noticed more than icing on the faces of our youngest visitors, that was the work of face-painting-extraordinaire Beth Peterson over in our new children's section.

In the afternoon, Bay de Noc Strings christened our new upstairs space, where we look forward to hosting musical events, children's programs, and book clubs in the future.

We could go on and on about how grateful we are to Dana from Snowbound Books for stopping by to support us, or how amazing Brad and Cindy Bender are for the long hours they put in working on renovations, or how much we love our customers and community, but I think I'll just have to spread that out in the months and years ahead.

In the meantime, enjoy these photos and come visit us at the store! We are glad to be here.

 

Grand Keep-Opening

On Saturday, June 2nd, we will be throwing a big party to celebrate 50+ years of the Canterbury Book Store and to preview some new developments.

We have much to celebrate... Shirley's retirement, new ownership, a big room full of books and a second floor open for new activities! Jesse has been getting us organized on the first floor, and Rebecca has been getting the upstairs ready for game nights, book clubs, and music making.

We will post a complete schedule of music, face-painting, and food next week - but for now - save the date!

Teacher Appreciation Day!

If there were no teachers, how ever would you learn?
A book would be a paperweight, or something good to burn.

If there weren't any teachers, then math would be a chore,
we'd need to take off socks and shoes to count out 5 times 4.

Without a bunch of teachers, I'd be afraid to drive
or get in planes, and many other things I need just to survive.

So we must thank our teachers, working night and day,
who help us be our better selves. Three cheers! Hip, hip - hooray!

Inheritance - understanding a legacy in books

Everyone has a time in their life when they are called upon to sort through the belongings of someone else. When moving to a new house (or moving someone else) we discover what is beloved and what has been forgotten.

In the book store, we have been learning about the long-time owners and the customers they served. The Hivala heritage is fitted in many nooks and crannies, from tall, Scandinavian candles in blue, white, and red, to little glass birds or a guidebook for the perfect sauna experience. I hesitate to move the books during our first days, knowing that I will have to be independent from Shirley's amazing memory and may struggle to find 'just the right book' on my own.

The collection reflects Escanaba as well. There is a wide selection of Bibles, some small enough for pockets and others with proud gold filigree and silk ribbon. There is joy in the children's section, where I find Pat the Bunny or The Berenstain Bears that I grew up with. And I reflect on how expansive the section is surrounding recovery from addiction, divorce and grief.

Yes, we technically 'bought' the bookstore, but it feels like I am taking on a collection from someone familiar. I grew up here and I love this town. Underneath the hubbub of "do we have this already?" or "do you want this anymore?" I will be mourning the loss of Shirley's store and welcoming into the world a book store of my own.

That is the bittersweet taste of inheritance, and it is not lost on me. --- RB

Many thanks to everyone who came out today for Indie Book Store Day!

What a wonderful Saturday we had here at the store! Many thanks and love to all the people who came by the store to welcome us, look around, or buy a book. Escanaba has some of the nicest people I've ever met, and we are so lucky to be a part of this community.

And keep your eyes open for a future announcement: we plan on having an official grand opening event later this spring - maybe early June. We will definitely let everyone know once we get the details ironed out. Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!

Credit Cards are go!

It may seem like a small thing, but we just got our credit card processing machine in, so now we can accept payment in the form of Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards! Look at this little guy:

 

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Welcome to the 20th century! Woo woo!

Book store re-boot, March 2018

For the last thirty-some years Shirley has kept an ongoing record of inventory, orders, and customer preferences in her head.

Without her, we are going to have to get organized! Most of the genres will be pretty familiar, but we are looking at new shelving and labels to make the store browseable and convenient. With a lot of shuffling and data entry, we aim to make our inventory digital as well.

Come in and let us know what you like about the "book store experience." What is your vision for our new store? After all, books are for dreamers :)