As some of you may know, The Eclectic Reader’s existence has been in limbo due to a nationally franchised pizza chain wanting this space and offering to pay more in rent and sign a longer lease. Do you believe in visions? My two acres of land borders on Soldier Creek and is visited by all kinds of wildlife. Yesterday morning I had a rather spiritual experience of the natural world due to a convergence of several things. I was doing dishes in my kitchen and looking out the window toward the orchard. The sun had just come up over the trees to the east and shone in patches in the backyard. Suddenly a beautiful buck appeared at the opening in the picket fence. He was standing in a beam of sunlight that emphasized the fuzzy velvet on his magnificent antlers. He seemed to puff out his chest and stand as proud as Bambi’s father surveying his forest. (Probably wondering what he should eat next in my yard.) I ran to get my camera to take some pictures. Seconds later, he had vanished without a trace. The buck appeared about the time the landlord would have finished showing the prospective tenants my retail space. I thought it was a sign. His appearance seemed like a blessing...maybe they had backed out of the deal. Today I saw the landlord and the new people out front, gesturing at the bookstore sign. I think I know the answer: the bookstore will have to close, at least at this location, but maybe forever. It is a shame that it is all about money for some people and that Fort Collins could not have supported this bookstore better. We need books, not more pizza. The media has given front page coverage to the opening of each new beer-related enterprise and food establishment while chosing to ignore the literary world. I wish I had a dollar for all the people who said “Beautiful store. I’ll be back when I have more time”…or “more money.” A Zen concept is that the time is now. If anyone has any ideas for a new direction, or a new location, please let me know. I could sell The Eclectic Reader to a new owner, move it, disperse it, or hide all the books in storage. I could sell online (again) or at a flea market (again). But what I want to do, what I am passionate about, is connecting people with the books they need or want and creating a community-oriented, environmentally friendly, totally local business. I want to engage people in great conversation. I want to meet people every day and not sit in front of a computer. And now I want to express gratitude to all of you who have supported the bookstore for this short two years. I also want to thank the universe for the “for my eyes only” experience of the beauty of the deer and the synchronicity that brought that about, whether it is a vision or not.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 23:44:45 +0000
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