Dispatches from the Bookshop

Since the first of the year, I have been running in so many directions at once that I am not meeting my self-imposed blog quota of weekly blurbs. Things change. Change is good. But change is also really exhausting. This time last year, we were just reeling from the news of Pfizer's leaving Ann Arbor. So one year later, the “news” that we are in a recession is hardly worth elevating one's blood pressure for, and the real news seems to be how all of us continue to hang in there, with a calm perspective and as good a sense of humor as possible. In this sense, I feel a bit smug compared to friends and family elsewhere. We have lived with these uncertainties for longer than any other place (except, perhaps, for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast) and we have a sticktuituve medal to show for our economic woes. We know how bad it can get, and we still function as a community, helping out when we can, and hoping and praying for better times.

STORE CHANGES
I have been claiming that we have a better store, but unless you have been in lately, that claim is a bit hard to defend. We still have areas to upgrade. However, our upstairs has been rearranged and furniture added and subtracted; now we have a more comfortable space in which to talk, meet, show films, and celebrate. Some of you probably didn't catch the party invitation on our most recent coupon card, but you missed a great party last weekend, when we celebrated our fourth anniversary in business. Thanks to all who did join us, including the Chelsea All-Stars with guitarist Jake Reichbart, who kept the vibe groovy and to the wonderful help of staff and friends to get the thing going. The gnome party will continue year to year, but the gnome collection (mine, from younger years, when I had time for garage sales) and Lucas, the reading gnome, have been put away until February of '09. My hope is that you will read on, to discover how we are growing our store in order to keep going.

MOM'S NIGHT OUT
Our first Mom's Night Out took place last Thursday, and the turnout was small, but the evening was a blast. How many smart women does it take to make a good MNO? Well, we had three women business owners who were featured, and also a reporter from the Ann Arbor News, with a handful of others. And the three business owners who were present all had good news: Sharon Keggereis's excellent Michigan wine book, From The Vine (Ann Arbor Media Group) has her traveling around the state for book signings this month. Leslie Surel's Surelutions is booming, and since we love her web design of this site, we are not surprised. Laureen Prophett of Graham Henry Design is on her way to Chicago this week to pitch her line of cards to Country Living Magazine, with hopes of getting some national exposure for the cards and calendars that our customers already love. When we say that we have cornered the tacky party theme market, we aren't kidding, The pink flamingos really enhance the normally serious Cranesbill with some happy vibes. In addition, there is a good reason to come to the once-a-month Thursday night bash-a that night only discount coupon for a 25% discount on one of those books or toys or games or CDs that you had been thinking of buying. We are holding the next Mom's Night Out on April 4 with Wendy Chiodo of Eden Garden Design around to talk gardening. Please join us…

ALMOST HERE: ONLINE ORDERING
After two and a half to three years of trying to accomplish online ordering on our website, we have finally chosen Yahoo online services as our provider of online ordering. If you couldn't imagine a process taking such time and effort to reach a conclusion, I completely agree: it should not be so tough to choose a solution. The problem is that none of the simple solutions cover everything that we sell: bookstore software doesn't cover toys, toy site software doesn't cover books, and who knows what we are to do about some items, like the frog prince, the Mr. Bill figures, and the lotus tub stoppers. So we are getting our act together, and you will soon be able to order from us 24/7 at our website www.cranesbillbooks.com. In addition, if you are looking for an out-of-print, used, or hard to find item, we will have links on our website to three very reliable ordering services: Alibris, ABE Books, and Biblio. We hope to hear from you how we can serve you better online once the ordering feature kicks in. And you will still be able to order by calling the store, as we can hold or special order books that you need.