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.

West Wing News-- the Children's Learning Space and Last Sighting of Flying Fish

We want to thank Bob & Paula Morrow who had come by a couple of months ago to visit Books on First and wrote a piece for The Prairie Wind, online newsletter for the Illinois Chapter of the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators).  They took some great photos and had kind words!   Of course, the big attraction is our West Wing, or the "Children's New Learning Space" as the description on Larry's 2008 business card says.  We like to emphasize to visitors that it's not simply the "Children's Section."  However, I have begun to re-think things and want to say that the space is for children of all ages.

As mentioned in the online piece, we have live music nearly every Saturday night and the performers hold court in the West Wing.  A steady returner is Flying Fish, the duo of Todd Lorenc and Jeff Kagay.  After finding a drummer for its most recent gig at our place and briefly becoming a trio, Flying Fish has now decided to disband.  (I am not saying nor implying that those two occurrences have any relationship to each other.).  Its last gig as Flying Fish will be on Saturday, 25 September, at Books on First.  Jeff and Todd promise us this is the last time you will hear their wacky British accents while passionately singing songs by The Beatles, The Monkees and Herman's Hermits.  Additionally, you probably won't hear this much Billy Joel music sung on land, off a cruise ship.  Mark the Date! Some of us will miss it (wedding of James Dunphy and Elena Accolti -- CONGRATULATIONS!), but you don't have to!  Again, Saturday, 25 Sep 2010, it's curtains for Flying Fish!  Come say good-bye and hear some great music from a fun duo for one last time.

Check out all of our live music dates online (where you can see that Todd will be playing this coming Saturday evening with The Swing Quartet, featuring Jim Ferolo, Jan Varner, Don Karol and Todd -- this is part of his new direction).

Also next Saturday, 18 September, is Nature Conservancy's Nachusa Grasslands 21st Annual Autumn on the Prairie,  Larry is currently ordering lots of interesting books for sale especially at this event.  Come enjoy a day of rides, demonstrations and pure prairie pleasure.

An Incredibly Busy Saturday Arriving Fast

I meant to remind everyone that Larry has been agonizing over which books to order and bring to offer for sale at Nachusa Grasslands' Autumn on the Prairie, come Saturday, 19 Sep (always on 3rd Saturday of September). It's probably too late at this juncture, but you can put in your 2 cents (don't tweet him -- just call on the telephone or send an e-msg) and if we have something on the shelf, I am sure he'll be happy to oblige.

I and Bri Boyer, our newest employee, will be holding down the fort at Books on First, because there are major bicycle races happening right on the streets of Downtown Dixon, and Larry thinks all these riders and spectators are going to want to quench their thirsts -- for liquid refreshment as well as printed material -- immediately. The course comes north on Hennepin (downhill towards the river) and makes a left turn right in front of our place onto First Street. I am told that professional riders can reach speeds of 30+ miles/hr coming down that hill and at that point, a hairpin, turn. Luckily (but fingers crossed, unnecessarily), Dixon Fire Department and Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital are both nearby. I am still trying to figure out how all these thirsty people are going to be able to cross the street to reach the store, although I am assured that there is ample time between races, so that people can walk and will not need to worry about stray or lagging participants attempting to catch up or at least finish.

Distinctive Gardens is having its chili cook-off.

And, if that weren't enough happening in one day, I will be missing the return of NIA! to Dixon, as Nichole Miller, after a summer break and lots of Sunrise Yoga on the riverfront, starts up Saturday 5:30pm class at the Traditional Wellness Center upstairs from Touch of Thai. But, you don't have to, so be sure to give Nichole and NIA a try and I'll see you there next weekend.

And after a good workout for mind & body, come to Books on First to welcome classical guitarist Michael Lich who comes to us after many years of a Saturday a.m. larger double shot sugar-free vanilla latte customer, his father, Terry saying, "You gotta hear my son play." I am so excited that we finally will hear him live. And, I hope live music lovers everywhere will come to hear him, too. (Tony Fiorini's Wrong Element, who has been at Books on First, will be at Distinctive Gardens, but while the music is different, the events are not mutually exclusive -- where do you think we're going after we close at 9pm?)

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.