A Space for a Bookstore

A few days ago, I was chatting with some old friends on Facebook. We were a group of book nerds and booksellers that had worked together for many years at Barnes and Noble in Des Peres, Missouri. I held that job for 11 years before heading to graduate school and becoming a technical writer.

It was good to catch up with everyone. We were an eclectic group. Liberal and conservative, runners, knitters, walkers, coffee addicts, crafters, writers. But all lovers of books were we. Most of us just stumbled into retail. It was a stop on the way to something else. I got stuck there for a while, uncertain what my next step should be. But during my time at the store, I met so many interesting and lovely people. Hard workers. Varied. Storied. Strange.

I found out the sad news of one colleague’s drowning about eight years ago. It was freak accident, and I remembered Kyle fondly as a quiet soul. He was too young to be gone.

And Chris, another friend who worked his way up from receiver to store manager. After 17 years at Barnes and Noble, he’s now a pastor at a church in southern Missouri. Absolutely perfect. If you knew Chris, you’d know what I mean.

Our flurry of notes and memories took place only for an hour, that day. But the memories of my time in that space is real. I spent over a decade, my mid-20’s to mid-30’s, walking the stacks of books and speaking with customers. I dusted and organized, created books displays and cleaned.

I only meant to stay 6 months…

I laugh at that notion, now, and the wrinkles around my eyes dance into action. I was just a baby when I started at Barnes and Noble. 23. Wrinkle free, yet never happy. I loved the books, always. But customers became more difficult and store manager was never something that I wanted to become.

So, I took a leap of faith. Packed up, moved west, and started graduate school.

That leap changed my life forever. I’m now a mom and wife and writer in a different chapter of her life.

But my time in that bookstore is also a chapter in my life…many chapters, really…and it will forever be a part of my story.

And I’m glad for it!