Farewell

For several years, I worked at a local café that was attached to a bookstore. Today it closes its doors forever. All those who I still remain close with from those days are feeling a twinge of sadness and a pall has been cast over this final week. Epiphany sent an email describing her feelings and they seem to mirror the emotions that we are all feeling. I share it with you now.

So I'd been meaning to go to the store for weeks but with school and work I'd been so busy that I hadn't had time. Finally, today after a week or so of recovering from final exam exhaustion I went. For some reason I wasn't prepared. On the way I thought I might get some books on discount but I wasn't really thinking that the store, our store, the place we all stood outside of for hours laughing and talking was closing. The place where I gleefully swept in the cafe with Star at the end of the night. The place where I shelved history and literature and political science. The store that used to be packed with people on weekends and holidays. The place where we all worked and in earlier incarnations, Bishop, Rama, Jen, Steve, Slick and Blaine worked (as well as countless others). How many fantastic and not so fantastic memories of that place? How many times did we laugh hysterically at the antics of the grey haired skank, skullet, the store puker, etc, etc? Too many to count. When I went in, it hit me. The shelves were almost completely empty. It was only the little bookshelves in the center of the store that were still stocked. There was no music playing and people wandered around the store scooping up the last bargains.

I felt shell-shocked and I had to hold back tears. I started to think hateful thoughts about the internet and the way it has changed everything. I felt guilty about using amazon and itunes instead of actually going into a brick and mortar store. How many hours I've spent online reading, watching movies while real life happened outside? People used to come to our store, not just to shop, but to socialize. This used to annoy us when we worked there, but it was a vital and good thing.

I love technology. I love my computer but I also love wandering around in bookstores. I used to go to bookstores (both used books, our store and Barnes and Noble) constantly. Now I browse online. In part because many of my favorite bookstores and thrift stores have closed. Everything can be purchased on ebay and amazon. There's nothing to be done about this but it still is incredibly sad.

It's sad to think that the once thriving shop will soon be no more. It's even sadder to think that the friendships formed in that place seem to be fading as well. I don't want that to happen...

Following this somewhat heartbreaking email, Epiphany spoke of getting some of the gang together more often. I feel that now, with the loss of this touchstone, that many of us will make a valiant effort to stay in touch, and not just through the internet and Facebook.

Our years spent working there, seeing friends come and go, were most certainly some of the happiest I've ever known. Tonight I go there to meet up with friends and have one final smoke break in the parking lot after closing.