Four Years and Counting

If you must know, when we opened Cranesbill Books as a holiday store in October of 2003, we were taking on one of the biggest and most demanding jobs that I had ever attempted. And I was now the owner, a job that was so complex that I was completely terrified of getting it right, especially because all of it was new to me. I had never been in business before, and I knew nothing of the nuts-and-bolts of keeping a retail store running smoothly.

There was nothing on the second floor except bare floors and a ceiling that had collapsed, leaving piles of old cellulose insulation that induced wheezing in the brave ones who ventured up there. Nonetheless, we had to fix all the problems, which were daunting all by themselves. In January 2004, the old store closed and we methodically packed up the old stock and actually moved on the 21st. We were barely ready to put thousands of books onto shelves which we had recently purchased, we had to make decisions about where categories were going to be located.

After running what was our "holiday store" in the first sixty feet of 108 E. Middle Street from October to January, we were going to be the new kid on the block and we wanted to look sharp. Even so, before we re-opened on February 28, 2004, we had to put in carpet, an elevator, and a whole lot of books, as well as designing the areas to make the place as welcoming as we could. Chelsea Woodworking and its mastermind, Charles Shiver, did a terrific job of working with our tall order. Our landlords, H.K. Leonard and Greg Raye, helped us decide what to do and to get the bills paid for all that we did.

From that transition time, I remember just working as hard as I could each day and coming home exhausted each evening. But little by little, the place took shape. One thing I wanted was what I called a storyteller chair for the kids section, and, after weeks of checking out Treasure Mart and Garage Sale Gallery, I finally found one at a large retailer. Big plans often turn into long lists of details, and Charlie, who made the store look as good as it does, was probably pretty sick of getting new problems to solve. We never finished painting the staircase because we were drowning in details, but the wallpaper (a pattern called "Cranesbill Tapestry") was hung, the upstairs was carpeted and fitted out with walls to keep the customers from falling down the stairs, and the books were neatly arranged and ready to be sold. Signs were made and hung for each category, the floors were scrubbed, and every shelf dusted in triplicate (before stocking the books, after stocking, and once again before opening, since book dust tends to be a continual problem). The whole venture ran on nothing except our enthusiasm for getting settled and moving forward, not to mention the occasional pizza.

As time has told, the opening was a textbook extravaganza. Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe impersonators greeted guests. There was a seven piece band— part of the II-V-I Orchestra. There is videotape of that evening, but what I remember is that it was a time of great hope. The construction was finished on Main Street and businesses were not worrying about the future. At that time, there were fewer stores in Chelsea's downtown than there are now, but Cranesbill added a little something to the mix. At the end of the evening, I told everyone that we were glad to be there, and I hope I didn't dwell on the problems that we had overcome, because they were lurking in my mind. But thank heavens I did not know what was ahead: a new president, a war, a busted economy, the struggle for any small independent bookshop to stay afloat and keep paddling.

In four years, we have come a long way, not always gracefully, but always with my core belief in the value of a bookstore for a town. I have been a bookstore junkie all my life: I can describe stores that have not existed in decades but that I trolled for interesting reading when I was still a schoolgirl. Not everyone gets the chance to live out their dreams, and I continue to be grateful that I have been so lucky, even though the years have provided more chills and thrills than I would have knowingly taken on. I think of it as my real college education.

So on Friday, February 29th— leap year— and Saturday, March 1, we celebrate our fourth anniversary with a two-day event. On Friday we will have an evening movie, the first from our new "Cinema Cranesbill" series, Robin and Marian. Then we will have birthday cake at noon on Saturday, a presentation by the Howell Nature Center at 2 pm, and a party from 8-10 pm. Postcards and flyers will be out this week— as ever, we are a bit behind schedule. We hope you will join us no matter what the weather; our customers are the reason we have chalked up another year, despite the economic crunch and whatever else has threatened the small independent bookshop as a species. There's a long list of thanks that belongs here, but to simplify, we could not have survived without many forms of community support. Please accept our thanks for the part you've played and let us know how we can do better.