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05/21/2005: "Makeover Madness"

It seems as though "makeovers" are all the rage now: Cars, Houses, Hairstyles, and now cities are getting into the act. Right outside my front door, the street is being torn up and reshaped for "The New Downtown". As a result, traffic is being rerouted, and soon the sidewalk will be torn out and replaced with blue slate slabs for a 'more aesthetic walkway'.

Needless to say, this hurts business. Not just mine, but every merchant on First Street. If you're a downtown shopper, this is when we local businessmen need your support.

However, the reduced traffic has given me the opportunity to enact a long-planned makeover of my own: the remodeling of Book Oasis! Having secured a supply of metal bookshelves, my friends and I are systematically replacing the old shelving in the store. The extra-large wooden bookcases you may remember from the center aisle? They are replacing the particle-board shelves in the cookbook section. Likewise, the big gray shelving units which we bought from Crown Books' liquidation sale have been replaced by the new metal ones. They're sturdier, have adjustable shelves, and are nicer to look at.

Of course, like all makeovers, this has been a slow process. Those of you who've braved the street construction to buy our books have seen the piles of metal shelves, book ends, and steel ends strewn about. All of you have been overwhelmingly supportive, and I appreciate it. I've been embarrassed, but one customer nodded in the direction of the street (filled with construction vehicles) and quipped, "If I'm willing to put up with all of that, do you think this stuff in here bothers me?" :)

I hope to have this Bookshop Upgrade finished by next week. With the more efficient shelving, I'll be able to eliminate one entire row of bookcases, which will open up the shop, and reduce the cramped feeling that some of you have talked about.

And while I can't add bows to the hair like some makeover people, a longtime friend has volunteered her services to decorate the place! She has already loaned me a beautiful rust-colored throw rug which has elicited several compliments. More to come? We'll see!

Someone once told me that change is the only constant in the world; it appears to be true even in the realm of old books! If you have any changes here you'd like to see, drop me a line.

But, regardless of any surface changes, Book Oasis remains committed to offering quality books at affordable prices!

Hope to see you all in here soon.

Larry Burdick
Book Oasis