Book people...we recognize each other. Here's a holiday tale about a very special book person. His name is Max, and he's 11 years old. I first met Max last year when he came into the bookstore, and immediately made an impression on me; this was a kid with a mission, and his mission was BOOKS! He made a beeline right for our kids section seconds after the store opened and sat down to peruse every book we had on the shelves. He knew exactly what kind of book he was looking for, asked great questions, and immediately struck me as this fun, shiny-bright lightbulb of a person who truly loved to read with all his heart.
Max an
d I bonded over our mutual love of "Star Wars", and I had a great chat
w
ith one of his moms about Max and his love of books. She shared with me something very special; it was Max's birthday that week, he'd overcome some challenges in the past year, and she asked him what he wanted to do for his 10th birthday. Disneyland? Six Flags? His wish was their command. And what Max wanted to do more than anything - more than
Disneyland, even! - was to go to Sea Ranch and visit the Four Eyed Frog bookstore.
This almost brought tears to my eyes. To know that we were Max's
birthday wish...well, that's why I do what I do. Bookstores are little pieces of magic in a world that has forgotten how to cast spells; booksellers are magicians that can give you that golden key to whole new worlds and ways of thinking by simply handing you a book with a secret smile and saying, "Read this, it's one of my favorites". Being a bookseller will never make you famous and it certainly won't make you wealthy, but it absolutely makes you rich in ways you can never imagine. You meet wonderful, interesting people; you introduce special, beloved books to their new owners; and along the way, if you're lucky, a little magic happens.
So here's where the magic comes in.
On Thanksgiving morning Max's moms had the idea of finding a way for Max to become one of the community shareholders at The Frog. They felt that having a piece of ownership in the community bookstore would fuel his passion for books,
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(Max gets his share certificate)
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give him a sense of belonging, and make the best Christmas present ever. Several hours later, while enjoying a Thanksgiving gathering at a friend's house, Max and his moms were first introduced to Ed Connolly an
d Karen Dotson, also there to share Thanksgiving with friends. In this serendipitous encounter, Max's moms learned that Ed and Karen were two of The Frog's community owners and shared Max's love of books and of The Frog with them. Touched by Max's story and his moms' Christmas gift idea,
Ed & Karen offered to help make some holiday magic happen for Max. After
some wand-waving and spell-casting, it came to be that Max is now one of our newest shareholders. Did YOU own a bookstore when you were 11 years old? This kid is destined for greatness and he is proof that magic happens.
This holiday, all of us at Four Eyed Frog Books are grateful to each of you, our loyal customers. YOU are the reason we're still here, as an independent community-owned bookstore. Thank you for sharing your magical stories with us, for supporting us through your purchases, for spreading the word to your friends about us, and for always brightening our day when you come to visit.
Merry Everything and Happy Always,
Rachel Turner, General Manager, Four-Eyed Frog Books
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