When I was fifteen, I got my first job working as a clerk in an independent bookstore. Three and a half years later, I am still working there, and have no intention of stopping anytime soon. In the store, we have a saying that none of us chose to work there: that we just wandered in, took a look at all of the books, and found ourselves unable to leave. While this is at least partially true, it's undeniable that everyone who works at a bookstore makes the decision to stay by themselves, not just because of the perks the job provides, but because of the atmosphere of enthusiasm and mystery that all good bookstores and booksellers provide. You might not know exactly why you go to a bookstore, and you might not know exactly why you stay. Here are eight of the (many, many) reasons why I have.
1. The mythologies
I don't mean the mythology section, which is exciting too. I mean the little stories that pile up in a place after months or years of it existing, that everyone who spends a lot of time there knows about. Whether it's the ghost named Hemingway that haunts the visa machine or the dragon that lives under the floor and eats Amazon customers, there's always stories that keep the store exciting and make it come alive.
2. The costumes
As much as I complain about having to dress up for every holiday and farmers' market and movie release that I work, deep down I am always excited to see what crazy article of clothing I am going to be forced to wear. (And by forced, I of course mean asked very politely). Whether they're dressing up as fairies or hobbits or life-sized crayons, my coworkers are always trying to make the experience of the people in the store as fun, exciting, and memorable as possible, and it's (usually) a joy to join them.
3. The customers
With relatively few exceptions, the kind of people who frequent bookstores are really, really cool. They're the kind of people you want to hang out and discuss the new Neil Gaiman story collection with over a cup of coffee. And sometimes, if you're not too busy, you get that opportunity. Some of the conversations I've had with regular customers have left me feeling like I made a new friend, or at the very least, a new literary companion to gossip about the horrors of E.L. James with.
4. The history
The bookstore I work in has been around for over thirty-five years, always in the same place. This means that it's attracted quite a few loyal customers, and enjoys recognition as the only new bookstore in town. When theater companies in the area want to sell tickets for their plays, or when local authors want to get their books out there, they come to us. As a writer, the sort of interactions this breeds are indispensable.
5. The aura of mystery
Whenever I tell people that I work in a bookstore, they become infinitely more interested in me. And with good reason: who knows what bookstore employees are up to when they're not reading? Have I memorized the entirety of the Silmarillion? Do I know J.K. Rowling personally? Does my habit of wearing glasses and carrying a composition notebook stem from necessity, or am I actually a slightly older version of Harriet the Spy? No one knows. (And I'm certainly not telling.)
6.Free books
When publishers want to get the word out about certain books that haven't made it to the shelves yet, they send out galleys, which are essentially uncorrected versions of the finished product. They tend to pile up, and when they do, employees get sent home with the extras. Happiness ensues.
7. Free food
Enough said.
8. The people
Booksellers are unlike anyone else you'll ever meet. They're patient, quirky, slow to anger (unless you insult Suzanne Collins, in which case God help you) and most of all, they're passionate. They're weird in a way that only people with a genuine love for what they do can be weird. And every day I go in to work and get to be around them, I feel lucky (and only a little insane) to be one of them.
