What Makes Books on First a Great Place to Visit

We are an equal opportunity great good place.  We could have a physician, a millwright, a retired schoolteacher, an unemployed housepainter and a beer salesperson all standing  and conversing together, two or more of them with little ceramic espresso cups, one with a strong black tea and milk, and cups of brewed coffee for the rest.  One of the reasons is that we generally follow 50 Things That Customers (Subliminally) Wish You Knew.

On the other hand, we have people who avoid coming into our store and staying awhile.  They opt for a more comfortable (for them) place, because the BoF crowd is too noisy, too quiet, too masculine, too feminine, too old or too young at any given time.  It's a balancing act.  And of course, the character of the bricks-and-mortar store changes with the weather, the time of the year, and even the health of the persons working at the moment.  And, if it's Saturday and only Carolyn is minding the place, they grab their mocha lattes or Black Current iced teas and beat a quick retreat to go visit our traveling store at the Ogle County Fairgrounds or Nachusa Grasslands.

This cannot be said of the website.  Its character changes, but of a different nature.  The content may change.  More information may be added.  An editor may even decide to move blocks from one side of the screen to the other, or add another page.  The basic appearance and "feel" of the site remain the same.  Supposedly web-savvy persons like customer service personnel at IndieBound and our own user-experience guy John Chin urge that we pick a theme and a sitemap and don't stray from it as that change would "confuse" the visitor.  So in a way, the web store is more static than the bricks-n-mortar, counter-intuitive but true.  Most people like stability, continuity and predictability.  Change is usually desired, but not generally anticipated or initially welcomed when it comes.  When change occurs, it's often a big deal and sometimes, not a pleasant one.  Change can be abrupt and transformative.  Change can be subtly evolutionary and so gradually pervade the psyche to be even more unpleasant when finally acknowledged.  Such are the times in which we live, both gradual and transformative change has led us to the decision of totally re-creating www.booksonfirst.com.

The original website is more of a bulletin board or online newsletter.  We'd like to think of the new website platform as another location and another employee all wrapped up in one.  We are working hard to make it work for those who interact better online than face-to-face or through the telephone.  It is certainly not the same as being in the store or even visiting the wall on facebook where one can solicit a lot of opinions and recommendations in a public forum, but it will be less static.  With shopping capabilities on the website, our customers will be able to search for titles at 11:30pm or 2am.  If an e-book is what's wanting, he can buy it online and store it on Google's cloud or download it onto his laptop for reading on the jet plane.  If she wants to pick up a printed bound or audio book and pay for it at the Dixon location, she can do that, too (what we have always called, "reserving it in" or "putting it on hold").  We are hoping that while visiting the website is not the same as visiting the bricks-n-mortar location, it along with Brenda, Antoinette, Kevin, Larry and Carolyn is what continues to makes Book on First a Great Place to Visit.  Come join us.

Found at the Renewable Energy Fair

Previously, I had written tons on what I found at the Renewable Energy Fair at Ogle County Fair Grounds in Oregon, IL, 2010 being its ninth year. This year could be the same, except so many issues are vying for space on the wetware -- my brain, that is, not to mention that scarce American resource called Time.

To mention some fellow exhibitors, which I have not done previously, either because there was too much going on or they were new this year:

• Pam Wheelock, "head honcho" of purrfectplay.com, came again with her offering of organic cotton toys and more.  I recalled that she and her husband live in Indiana and he, like myself, works in Chicago.  Unlike me, he commutes daily from Chesterton!  And, he has told me that the train is packed daily with people even sitting on the steps leading to the exit door, not at all like the picture of a comfortable commuter train with everyone sitting in a seat, reading their news or catching some shut-eye.  Pam remembered me, because of our earlier discussion and how I suggested he find a studio apartment or even a room in someone's house for the weekday gig.  She gave me a gift for our guest cat Sylvie (or Sylvia) who has a great aversion to the outdoors and cat collars.  I had bought her an organic cotton and silk collar last time and she disdained to keep it on, even when I told her she looked like a princess.  The gift was a organic cotton stuffed toy in the shape of a carrot (no dye but with cute yarn leaves).  Thank you, Pam!  Our cat Fanei played with it briefly, but Sylvie couldn't be bothered. I think it's their loss, as the carrot is fun-looking!
• Cool Hats with hand-made fashions by Ann Hansen from St Paul, MN, is a long way from home.  They had classy straw hats that sold well for the sunny Sunday that made its way through the morning rain, as well as African-styled straw carry-alls and BYO Bags -- nylon mesh bags for the produce you buy (that's a great idea, but I forgot to get one).  Larry got a straw hat with a leather band for "only $8 (his words)."  Men should think about having a hat for every occasion, as wsj.com notes, although I believe part of the hat etiquette should be that a man takes off his baseball or seed corn hat when sitting down to eat!  I was looking for a spring hat (and I don't mean a baseball cap!) and found a pretty green canvas one with cool striped piping and lining, as well as a great winter black one.  The brim of the black hat was fashioned from fabric decorated with gold embossed celestials (star, moon,...).  They were both sold to me at half off a reasonable price, so I feel like a thief or at least, a real bargain hunter (which I have never been accused of being). One can never have enough hats.  Ann sells mostly at fairs, and probably won't come back to the Renewable Energy Fair at Ogle County Fairgrounds in Oregon, IL -- way too far away, but please check out where she might be and if you're ever in the Twin Cities, call her homebase and she would be happy to show you what they have. 
• And, last but not least, Russ Rybicki of Progressive Asset Management/Financial West Group in Urbana, IL, who also markets heavily through participation in alternative lifestyle fairs, comes every year to the Renewable Energy Fair, sitting alongside Books on First to hawk socially responsible and "green" investing,.  He presents the case that you can feel good about your drive for return, by investing in companies which make products in an environmentally responsible way and may even be making products for the environmentally responsible, such as Church & Dwight, best known as maker of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda as well as Trojan condoms, but also scrubbers for coal-burning plants.  He attends fairs for gay/lesbian celebration, 4-H, ecology, ... and has created quite a niche for himself, and because attendees come from everywhere -- from Chicago to Cedar Rapids, IA to Milwaukee, WI to Dixon, he now has quite a geographically-spread client base (especially when one is driving around each summer weekend, enjoying traffic on four-lane highways, and then, fielding questions about the "deep recession" as well as hearing comments like, "Don't waste your time with me; I'm out of work.").

It is an expensive proposition to attend the Renewable Energy Fair, so I am glad to see so many who are serious about the subject, which has expanded to include utilizing principles of permaculture in gardening, canning garden vegetables and raising chickens.  While we do bring in books especially for this fair, we had a host of titles that sold well, which we carry in-store.

A Day at the Fair

Joined Larry at the Eighth Annual Renewable Energy & Sustainable Living Fair at the Ogle County Fairgrounds yesterday. First off, it was considerably cooler (at least 5ºF -- no exaggeration) and less humid than in Downtown Dixon, probably because it had rained there. Still, though, the covers of books we displayed had a good curl on them.

Because she exhibited just steps away, Larry was able to talk with WI-transplanted (via NYC!) Australian Suellen Thompson-Link about the sheep she keeps at Kinkoona ("Laughing") Farm. See what we spent our saved dollars to buy: one of her beautifully (and totally sustainably) made mattress toppers. She assured me that they are perfect for both winter and summer (having used one all year 'round in native Perth). Too tired to arrange it on the bed last night, but can't wait to do so.

Larry reports that this year, one repeat visitor to the fair and to our table, was able to present and share with others some of the projects he had going on, like a straw bale building, assisted by books he bought from us. We are happy that we have been able to help -- inform, educate, enlighten, inspire.

I was also able to give Larry a break so that he can buy some organic vegetables from John Barnhart of Oregon, IL. Can't find a website for you to link, but here's the program from the fair, so give him a call or drop him a line if you need to find his produce or want directions to his place (let him know how you found him). Larry said the big q this year is "Are you getting any red tomatoes yet?" I believe that's been the big q for a number of years now. I would say in my recent memory, I haven't seen regular sized tomatoes (that is, not grape or cherry tomatoes, but Big Boy and Rutgers and the like) turn red and ready to eat around here until the end of August, but Larry says my memory deceives me.

I walked around a bit and really enjoyed seeing some wonderful adult/children interactions, among visitors and exhibitors. I spoke with a duo from Western Springs, IL selling their own Bread from the Heart baked goods and honey from Blue Island (Chicago), IL. (I didn't get a chance to clarify the relationship, so I'm going with mother/daughter.) Mother is Class of '76 from Bed-Stuy HS in Brooklyn, NY, and daughter as a high school sophomore (and Honors English student) is hoping to go East to college. Of course, I made a pitch for my alma mater Vassar.

Dudley & Rachel Fowler and their family were displaying, among others, products to help with the Japanese beetle infestation. Daughter Gwen was helping out with the booth and was delighted to know that Books on First sells more than just books on renewable energy and sustainable living. I wished they had spoken with Larry on Saturday. As they had stayed overnight in Dixon and we're open until 9pm, it would have been great for them to visit the store with all that we have to offer for children and to hear those progressive acoustic guitar sounds of Steve Schad.

Having talked about this outing, I have to put in a word about our next big fieldtrip: Nachusa Grasslands 20th Annual Autumn on the Prairie which is always on the 3rd Saturday of September, being this year on 19 Sep. Look for Larry and Books on First there in between enjoying other great things at a beautiful place.

We all know you want to know what the "face" of Books on First Proprietor/Manager Larry Dunphy's doing.

First off, he's finishing a purchase order for books to show and sell at the Renewable Energy Fair next Sat & Sun (8-9 Aug) at the Ogle County Fairgrounds. Let him know (815.285.2665 or chin@booksonfirst.com) if you'll be there and if there's anything you particularly want to see to buy (popular subjects are Gaia, permaculture, sustainable living, log cabins, renewable resources, how to save money, windmills, native plants, gardening for fun & profit and applesauce (just kidding)).

Speaking of apples, though, some people are growing a few trees to get their own great apples. We have ours to be hospitable to Japanese beetles. Do you have that problem, too? If so, what have you all been doing about them? A good customer of Books on First told me once that as horrible as he feels about doing it, spraying insecticide seems to be the most viable (ironically) solution. A relative of ours would respond, "Better Living through Chemicals." But, this discussion is for another day.

Speaking of sustainable living, Larry is reading Making the Good Life Last. Author Michael Schuler will be speaking about and signing copies of his book tomorrow. Larry already lives a fairly pastoral existence, give or take the bookstore happenings. He says reading the book has given him greater appreciation of it and desire to keep it so. We are going to have copies of this book at the Fair, but maybe not enough! Give us a call if you want to reserve a copy for pick-up at the Fair (or store).