Well the contest is over! The wonderful Ann Swanson is the winner of a brand new copy of Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs. She sent me a really nice email about the store, giving in detail what she liked the most. Here is a little snippet of what she said:
"Unexpected service, real help when needed, friendly folks, these are some of the wonderful reasons to love the bookstore. I have to add that I greatly appreciate the selection of books --- I am sure they are carefully selected (compared with what I see elsewhere)." ~Ann Swanson

I'm going to add what I feel is my favorite aspect of the bookshop. I really like that we care about our customers as people. We don't just like that they come in day in and day out, but really appreciate what kind of people they are. We have many people that have taught me so much, even during the brief interactions that we have. There are times that we've had to take people to the hospital, from the hospital or just take the paper to someone who was housebound for the day. This kind of caring about customers doesn't happen just everywhere. It truly occurs in places where there is a sense of community. I'm just happy that I live in such a place.