The Great Flood of June 2009
Well, it’s been raining here. From last report I heard, it’s rained 13 out of the last 15 days. That was before Monday though.
On Monday, it rained. And then it cleared and rained some more. And then the heavens opened up! We had a torrential downpour, plain and simple. It came down in buckets upon buckets for about a half hour here in northern New Jersey. The news reports were all over the hail that fell and showed video of Washington Township in Bergen County, where people were shoveling the hail to get to their pools. Bizarre? Beyond bizarre!
SoulJourney is housed in an old building. It’s over 100 years old, and when I see photos of this town from the turn of the century, this building is there, so you get a good idea of its age. It’s got a lot of character and I really love it here. Most of the time. Tuesday morning was an exception though.
I came in and headed toward my office to turn on the computer. Just as I was about to step through the door, I realized the floor was squishing. I was afraid to look down, but did anyway. Yep, wet carpeting. And then I tried to find the end of the wet carpeting, and realized it was several feet behind me. Oh boy.
First thing I did was call the maintenance guy for the building and got, as I expected, his machine. Then I called Doug and asked to borrow his wet/dry vacuum. Went next door to the rental space to see how bad the damage was there and couldn’t open the door. If you saw my post on Facebook last week, you might remember I’d posted that the window molding and door were getting painted. Well, the guy didn’t do that great a job, and the humidity from the wet carpet, mixed with the fresh paint, caused a locking of the door that had nothing to do with the key and knob. I gave up on the door and went to pick up the vacuum.
Came back with that and spent the next 1.5 hours, bent over, vacuuming up water. I have no idea how many gallons I sucked up, but I emptied the vacuum 4 or 5 times. Eventually, I had to give up, and considered myself fortunate to have gotten up most of the water and left myself with carpeting that was damp to the touch.
Later in the day, I was finally able to wrestle the door open next door. The first thing that hit me was the smell. I continued on to the back of the space and found the same condition I’d found in my own store that morning. Wet carpeting. The only good thing about all of this is that it’s industrial carpet so it has no padding underneath. If it did, I’d have a much worse problem on my hands. Or under foot, depending on how you look at it.
I left the air conditioning on overnight next door to try and dry out the carpet a bit (thanks to Fred from Taste of Dawn’s suggestion). This morning I went in there first. It still smells, but not quite as badly as yesterday. I left the AC on and I’m hoping it will help.
Then I came in to SoulJourney’s space. Not quite as good a story as next door. The smell that wasn’t present yesterday, now is. I’m allergic to mold, so this is not a good situation. Frankly, I’m surprised I haven’t been wheezing through any of this.
The good news is, the maintenance guy called me back and is going to get a rug shampooer and will be in this afternoon – I hope – to work on my floors. I’m hoping this does the trick because I have my Psychic Faire this Saturday, and this could be a disaster if it’s not much better over there. I won’t even mention the meeting of the Butler Business Association that’s going to be held tomorrow morning in there.
The good thing is, I’m not the only one who had problems. Taste of Dawn also had water pouring in – it came in under the foundation (yeah, great) – but because they have tile floors, it’s not as long-lasting as with carpeting. Sometimes I really wish the previous tenant hadn’t installed this stuff.
On another note, I’m really looking forward to having the Psychic Faire here on Saturday! Six different readers (Tarot, Palm, Psychic, and an Animal Communicator), an animal Energy Worker, and several metaphysical vendors. It should be a great time!
Now I’m just hoping that the rain that’s predicted is actually only the showers they’re saying they’ll be. I’m starting to see nubbins of webbing and gills sprouting on my body!
Why Shop Indie Stores
I have to admit, this is one of my pet peeves. People are always complaining about small stores closing their doors (in this economy or any other), but did they ever think about shopping in those stores so that they can stay open? A lot of my customers tell me how much they like to come in and support me, which I appreciate more than words could ever tell. But then they’ll tell me about how they went online to Amazon (or any other big internet retailer) to buy something. And then they wonder why the little store in town isn’t there any longer. Perhaps the indie store couldn’t stay open with no business coming in?
Let’s think about this for a second. You love the feeling of walking into a small store, where people greet you and wish you a good day. It’s where you get to meet and really spend time with some of your favorite authors who talk to you with their shoes off because they feel so comfortable. It’s also where you get some great advice on spells or how to cleanse and protect your home or business. You can actually feel good about how you’re spending your money, knowing that it’s helping someone stay in business and help keep the local economy afloat, that your money is staying in the community. But then you go home and go online and purchase a book, or oil, or incense, or jewelry. You don’t get the experience of actually thumbing through the book, smelling the oil or incense, or seeing how the jewelry actually looks against your skin. When you buy that item in the local store, you also get the instant gratification of walking out with the item, not having to wait several days till it arrives on your doorstep. Your money doesn’t stay local, and depending on the online merchant, isn’t really helping anyone keep their job and support their family. Is this really how you want to support small, Mom-and-Pop stores?
Indie stores, no matter what industry they’re in, are hurting now. We don’t have a huge bank account that’s been built up over time to draw from. The owners see every bit of money that comes in as well as what goes out when bills are paid. Or worse yet, not paid. Even if the item costs you an extra dollar, isn’t it worth it to know that you’re supporting your local economy?
D2Care
So I found out last week that I’d been elected to the Board of Directors of D2Care (www.d2care.org). This organization is the not-for-profit organization that works for deaf dogs through education and advocacy. Since I’ve been a deaf dog mom for over 10 years now, this organization is near and dear to my heart, and I’ve been involved, in one way or another, since its inception.
This morning I found out I’ve been elected to be the organization’s Treasurer. I’m pretty excited, but at the same time, a little nervous about doing a good job. First order of business is moving the bank account. Then I have to get acquainted with all the books and how the organization works. Thankfully, the outgoing Treasurer is a good friend of mine and will help me get organized and all set up.
It’s such a joy to be involved in an organization that respects you and what you can bring to the table, as well as respecting your desire to learn. I’m so looking forward to the next two years and serving this great organization.
I became a deaf dog mom 11 years ago when I adopted my little boy, Orion. Nina, my little girl, followed soon after. They are the loves of my life and my Significant Other gave me a gift certificate for my birthday a couple years ago so I could get my furkids’ portraits tattooed on my leg. Scotty did a wonderful job and I get lots of compliments on it. It’s all in greys and black-and-whites with the only color being their eyes. It’s on of my tats I love the most, not only because of who gave me the gift, but also because my kids are with me all the time.
Post BEA
Wow, did we have a great time at BEA yesterday! BEA stands for BookExpo America, and it’s the largest book industry show in the US. It’s more about networking than buying, though.
We got to the Javits Center around 10am – l-o-n-g bus ride, stuck in traffic – checked in and got right to work. We started at one end and the first person I saw was a fellow retailer who owns a store in Baltimore (www.breathebooks.com). A few rows down and we came to the MN Historical Society (www.mhpress.org) who has published Patricia Monaghan’s (www.patriciamonaghan.com) book on wineries in MN and WI. This book’s near and dear to my heart because I got to read several different parts of the manuscript while it was still in-progress. And Pat, being the great friend that she is, sent me an autographed copy when it was published. BTW, if you’re a fan, I have her long-out-of-print poetry books, autographed, available for sale in the store. Stop in for a look, or check them out on the website at www.souljourney.com/store.htm.
We weaved our way through many more aisles and I got to see two of the PR people I’ve worked with over the years at the Red Wheel/Weiser/Conari Press/Hampton Roads (www.redwheelweiser.com) booth. RWW and Hampton have recently combined forces to bring out some wonderful books that I’m really looking forward to having in the store.
Further down the road I got to meet my friend Laurie who’s Sales Manager for New Page Books (www.newpagebooks.com). We stopped at the booth for my new point-of-sale software people and I got to meet one of the techies I’ve been working with, and it turns out we’re both Aquarians and we shared tattoos while Doug fixed one of their computers that wasn’t working. A win-win for all of us! LOL
We also got to see Amy Zerner and Monte Farber, artists and Tarot creators extraordinaire (www.enchantedtarot.com). Monte and Doug swapped funny stories and Amy and I discussed business and their upcoming Tarot projects. They’re even going to have an hour-long special on QVC in the near future. More on that as I hear about it.
We left with packed (and I do mean packed!) backbacks and headed back to the Port Authority to drop our bags and head down to South St. for the rest of the day. There’s a Texas on Tour there this weekend. Not only do I have cousins who live there (now they’re all in Houston), but the highlight was the Western Swing band, Asleep at the Wheel (www.asleepatthewheel.com) who appeared there. I’ve been a HUGE fan of theirs for many years (trust me, country it ain’t!) and Doug had only ever seen them on Austin City Limits (www.pbs.org), but he liked them also. So we hung out for awhile people-watching, and then had dinner, and just as it was starting to sprinkle a bit, AATW came on. Every time I see them I like them more and more, and last night was no different. I took some pictures and posted them on my Facebook page, so if you’re not already a ‘friend,’ please request me and check out the pics, or view them here.
We left around 9pm and took the subway back uptown, picked up our bags and made the 9.30 bus back to Wayne. This morning, my entire body hurts from all the walking and carrying the ultra-heavy bags, but it was a great day. Now I need to find some time to go through all the catalogs and paperwork I brought back!
Later on today, my sales rep from Llewellyn, Michelle, is coming over from NYC to see the store and hang out for a bit. We’ll go out to dinner but I’m not sure where yet. I’d like to show her what real Jersey fare is, but I’m not sure we want to do the Italian thing. She’s Italian, and while I’m sure they have good food in MN, let’s face it, Jersey Italian is by far the best there is! Of course, there’s also the Pompton Queen diner (cause diners are quintessentially Jersey), or Libby’s in Paterson for Jersey hot dogs. Hmmm, I’m getting hungry!
Asleep at the Wheel, May 2009
May 2009
I really need to be more organized about this blogging thing. I haven’t posted anything in quite some time and that’s not good. A link here from the store website is definitely in order.
On Friday, Doug and I are heading into NYC for BEA (Book Expo America – www.bookexpoamerica.com). This is THE trade show for the book industry. It’s not just about the metaphysical/new age industry, it’s about books, period, and everything that relates to them. This show travels around the country each year, basically between New York, Chicago, and San Diego. The overseas equivalents are the London Book Fair and the Frankfurt Book Fair. This show takes over, in its entirety, the Jacob Javits Convention Center. And if you’ve ever been there, you know how huge the place is. Several floors and sprawling in all directions. I usually take the NY Ferry across the Hudson to get there. You exit the ferry (if you’ve never been) and walk up a block and you’re at Javits.
Once you get into the Center though, that’s when the fun starts. Or, should I say, the exhaustion. You walk and walk and walk some more! I haven’t been to this show since I opened SoulJourney 18 years ago, so I’m looking forward to it. But I know the show’s grown immensely since then, so I know my feet are going to be totally done-for at the end of the day. But I’m really looking forward to going cause I have several friends I want to see, as well as checking out the new offerings for Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 so I’ll know what I want to buy for the store.
I checked out the BEA site and there are lots of mainstream authors who’ll be there signing their new books, including lots of celebrities, such as Dave Barry and Julie Andrews. I’ve heard from friends that in years past, lots of people dressed up in character costumes are there, walking the show. Some authors dress up as characters from their books, trying to get you to purchase their books for your store. Others are hired people dressed up, trying to drive traffic to their employers’ booths. Add to that all the would-be authors shopping their manuscripts with publishers, self-published authors attempting to get you to buy their book, and the media (industry and mainstream), and it promises to be quite a circus. I don’t think Doug has any idea what he’s in for! LOL
We won’t be attending my annual, industry trade show (www.inats.com) in Denver this year. That’s always at the end of June and as most of you know, I close the store to attend. But this year, I have cousins coming in from Texas - some of whom I haven’t seen in 10+ years – and that’s the weekend they’ll be here, so we decided to put family first and not make the pilgrimage to Colorado. I’ve been told I’ll be missed this year, but after so many years of attending (something like 12), I think I’m ready for a break, so I’m thanking my cousins and instead, we’re taking the week as a real vacation. Because we’re not going to Denver, this was just another reason to make BEA so I can still see my friends I’d normally see at INATS.
I’ll write more after the show, telling you about everything I saw. Can’t wait!
