The following is the blog I wrote for my bookstore, The Bookies, on our commitment to readers’ rights and free speech… As we shake ourselves from the post-Thanksgiving gluttony and regroup for the busy holiday season, I am taking a pause today to reflect on what I am most grateful for and The Bookies sits at the top of my list. I have been the lucky owner of this magical store for two years now and what a couple of years it’s been! I’ve enjoyed getting to know every staff member individually and the store as a whole. When this many employees have worked together for as long as most at The Bookies have, a business takes on a life of its own with a particular identity and personality. Sue Lubeck, the founder of The Bookies, is ever present in a thousand little ways from her knack for community-building to her philosophies on customer service. For over 50 years at the helm, she laid an indelible foundation of bookstore service in which the customer comes first, literacy is the cornerstone of education, and there is no such thing as a “bad book.”
Brilliant, honest, and important stuff here, Nicole. Thanks so much for your courage and commitment!