I seem to view the world as divided into two types of people: those who love books and those who do not. Now, nothing is wrong with the people who do not possess a great love of the words, punctuation and images that are held within books. But, as someone who loves books, I don’t quite understand what is not to love about them. A book holds so many options and possibilities. It taps into the imagination and allows for adventures without even leaving a chair. And, when I say I love books, I don’t mean I read one every so often to pass time. No, I mean -- if I had the time -- I would read a book a day. And if I had the money, I would already have a library the size of my house. I love books so much that I always had dreams of living out of a backpack with a few material possessions to hold me down, but I can’t go without my books.
Now, as a book lover, I have the ultimate job: working in a book store. I go to my job knowing that as I work, I am surrounded by books and that I get paid to do what I love and what I am passionate about. In an attempt to further spread the love of books and the great job of working in a bookstore, here are three reasons why working in a bookstore is amazing:
1. The inspiration
When I walk into the small independent Vermont bookstore that I was so lucky to be employed by, I feel inspiration. There is something about drinking a cup of coffee early in the morning right before the store opens. The coffee mixed with being surrounded by shelves and shelves of books and knowledge make me feel so much potential. I feel like I could do anything, go anywhere, and learn anything. Just the feeling alone makes me happy and excited.
2. The knowledge
I know that when I am at work, I have access to multiple sources of books and a large amount of knowledge. I enjoy that I could be helping a customer find the perfect book and stumble upon an old favorite or find a new book that contains so much knowledge and interesting words. Not only that, but I also get to spread my love of books and talk passionately to someone in order to help them better find their perfect book.
3. The customers
In all of my jobs in my short 21 years of life, bookstore customers are by far the politest and happiest people I have worked with. At my job at a supermarket, people complain and discus the outrageous prices of food. At the pizza place I work at, people are very picky about their food and also complain. But, the bookstore brings in happy people. Most people are book lovers, and they just want to browse the books and enjoy the atmosphere. Knowing that my day will not only be filled with books but also smiling people who also share a love of books makes my job that much more enjoyable.
