Flannery Flailings

The deadline for the bookshop's newsletter was today at noon - eek! The girl being as lazy as every had ME write the letter to our dear faithful readers. I was rather proud of the work of my pretty paws so I shall include it here as well:

Dear Booklover,

You may recall reading about our bookstore in the Easley Progress in late July. When it came out, many customers complimented it. When asked if they were referring to the article about the bookshop's manager, one replied, "We prefer to refer to it as the one about the dog."

Finally! After two years of hard labor at Poor Richard?s Booksellers as the ever faithful bookshop dog, I am getting some of the recognition I deserve. It is such a thankless job of sniffing shoes, rolling over for belly rubs, and being constantly adored. Plus, this acknowledgment saved me from the threats of being told I had to earn my keep through having a small display table strapped to my back while I mush around the shop showing books to patrons. Sometimes I know that I'm just inches away from pushing new reads, like local author George Singleton's new collection of short stories, "Why Dogs Chase Cars." I might be a cuddly canine myself but chasing cars involves precious energy that might take away from my nap-time.

In my two years here, I have seen many changes in downtown Easley as more businesses and people move in. The most notable of these have been the food establishments. While people keep missing the very obvious idea of opening a Bacon Buffet, we've still had some fantastic eateries open nearby. There's Kewpie's Cafe with their fabulous reubens, Ansley's for more contemporary dining, a new coffee shop opening up across the street from the bookstore in the next couple of months, and David Winguard projections of his new restaurant for the summer of 2005. If the addition of the new
full service beauty parlor, the barber shop, the candle shop whose new owners are also going to carry antiques, a health food store under new management which now offer massage and apothecary, and Rosebriar Antiques doesn?t get your tail a wagging then the plans of three new shops with three apartments above them which have just been submitted to the city for the lot beside Ellenburg's nursery should. Hopefully, you can just control your excitement better than I can at times.

Soon you will not be able to recognize downtown Easley it will be so bustling. Of course, you'll always be recognized in Poor Richard's where we always love to see your friendly face, especially if that face is accompanied with long fingernails perfect for scratching a certain cocker spaniel's stomach. We hope you come in to visit soon, unless you smell like cat and then you are dead to me.

Miss Flannery
The Bookshop Dog