My first question was answered as soon as I walked in the door. The lady behind the counter immediately said, “This is the last day. Everything has to go.”
I had had in mind a more leisurely conversation with a staff member, one where I would casually slip in my queries and gage the response to see I was out to lunch or not. This direct statement changed things.
I had a look around to see if there was anything besides shelves that I wanted. Books, it turned out, had been marked down to $0.25 apiece. Naturally this was my idea of a jackpot so I picked out a handful of likely volumes and wandered back up to the counter. “I was wondering,” I asked as I handed over the books, “if you’d be interested in selling any of your shelving?”
“Yes!” said the lady behind the counter. “Which one were you looking at?”
I had to smile inwardly at the idea of needing just one shelf. "Any of them," I said and explained about the new store.
“All the white ones are still for sale,” she said.
I looked around. The entire book section was on white shelves as was some of the kitchenware. “They’re $10 each,” she told me.
That sounded like a good price to me but the fact that this was the last day of business was a complication. This was being investigated as a whim of my own so I needed to talk to my friends to see if they actually wanted them. "I'm going to go make a phone call and come back," I said.
"I’ll give you our last business card and write my name on the back," said the lady. "Just ask for me when you come back.”
I looked at the card. It proclaimed that this was "the best little thrift store in K-W." This lady's name was Kim.
Unfortunately Justin and Alicia were not in town at this point. They had not yet found an appartment and were at their parent's house about 300 km away. They were also not what you would call early risers so when I got through to Alicia on the phone I was fairly sure I had woken her up.
"Hello," she mumbled.
“Hey, it’s Larissa,” I said.
“Oh, hey.” (Still groggy.)
“I’ve got a question for you. I’m at a store that’s going out of business and they are selling their shelves. Are you interested?”
“Uh, yeah maybe.” I could tell she was trying to fight for clear thoughts now. “How much?”
“The big ones are $10 each,” I said.
"Wow," she said, sounding like her brain was starting to function. "Yeah."
With permission granted I walked back in the store and started looking for Kim. The place was in chaos with digging for deals and staff members trying to get rid of what they could. Kim, a plucky woman wearing glasses and a black baseball cap was in the middle of it all.
“I’m back,” I said. “We have the go-ahead.”
“Great!” said Kim. “Let’s figure out what we’ve got here.”
We walked through the store tallying up the shelves. By the time we were done the other people working in the store had found out what was going on and were showing interest. They wanted to know what kind of store was opening and where.
"A games store," I told them. "In Waterloo, near campus."
I arranged to come back later in the day to pay and start loading shelves into my car. Unfortunately that gave me a few hours to think. I was thinking about how I was going to manage to get all those shelves to my apartment where they would have to sit till the other two got back to town. Shouldn't be too hard, I reasoned, since most of them would come apart with a screwdriver. And then I'd have to store them, but hey, it's only for a few weeks.
The thought that kept nagging me though didn't have to do so much with the shelves as with what was on them. Where there any more books I wanted there? They were only $0.25 apiece. How many would be left at the end? What were they going to do with the ones left over?
When I got back that afternoon I asked Kim the fateful question. “I was wondering, what are you planning to do with the books that are left over at the end?”
Kim’s gaze drifted toward the books in the back corner. Her shoulders slowly crept up into a shrug.
“How much would you want for the right to take away all the books that are left at the end?” I asked.
Kim’s eyes came back to meet mine. Her eyebrows arched. She looked at me sideways. Clearly she was not expecting this. “All the books?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“All of them no matter what kind or condition?”
“Yes,” I repeated.
I felt a surge of adrenelin as we made the deal. As a hardend bibliophile I had always wanted to amass a huge personal library but never did I think this many books would land in my lap all at once. The ones I didn't want I figured I could give away or sell but for a few extra dollars they were all going home with me.
I looked at the card. It proclaimed that this was "the best little thrift store in K-W." This lady's name was Kim.
Unfortunately Justin and Alicia were not in town at this point. They had not yet found an appartment and were at their parent's house about 300 km away. They were also not what you would call early risers so when I got through to Alicia on the phone I was fairly sure I had woken her up.
"Hello," she mumbled.
“Hey, it’s Larissa,” I said.
“Oh, hey.” (Still groggy.)
“I’ve got a question for you. I’m at a store that’s going out of business and they are selling their shelves. Are you interested?”
“Uh, yeah maybe.” I could tell she was trying to fight for clear thoughts now. “How much?”
“The big ones are $10 each,” I said.
"Wow," she said, sounding like her brain was starting to function. "Yeah."
With permission granted I walked back in the store and started looking for Kim. The place was in chaos with digging for deals and staff members trying to get rid of what they could. Kim, a plucky woman wearing glasses and a black baseball cap was in the middle of it all.
“I’m back,” I said. “We have the go-ahead.”
“Great!” said Kim. “Let’s figure out what we’ve got here.”
We walked through the store tallying up the shelves. By the time we were done the other people working in the store had found out what was going on and were showing interest. They wanted to know what kind of store was opening and where.
"A games store," I told them. "In Waterloo, near campus."
I arranged to come back later in the day to pay and start loading shelves into my car. Unfortunately that gave me a few hours to think. I was thinking about how I was going to manage to get all those shelves to my apartment where they would have to sit till the other two got back to town. Shouldn't be too hard, I reasoned, since most of them would come apart with a screwdriver. And then I'd have to store them, but hey, it's only for a few weeks.
The thought that kept nagging me though didn't have to do so much with the shelves as with what was on them. Where there any more books I wanted there? They were only $0.25 apiece. How many would be left at the end? What were they going to do with the ones left over?
When I got back that afternoon I asked Kim the fateful question. “I was wondering, what are you planning to do with the books that are left over at the end?”
Kim’s gaze drifted toward the books in the back corner. Her shoulders slowly crept up into a shrug.
“How much would you want for the right to take away all the books that are left at the end?” I asked.
Kim’s eyes came back to meet mine. Her eyebrows arched. She looked at me sideways. Clearly she was not expecting this. “All the books?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“All of them no matter what kind or condition?”
“Yes,” I repeated.
I felt a surge of adrenelin as we made the deal. As a hardend bibliophile I had always wanted to amass a huge personal library but never did I think this many books would land in my lap all at once. The ones I didn't want I figured I could give away or sell but for a few extra dollars they were all going home with me.
"I can give you some kids to help," said Kim, calling to some children who were scattered throughout the store. They rushed to the back of the store where all the books were and together we started loading up boxes and bags.
"Guess what," I overheard Kim say to the other staff members. "There's a lady here who's agreed to take all the books."
"All the books?" they asked in disbelief.
I didn't take long for myself and the children to fill my car with books and the first of the shelves. Everyone agreed that I could come back the next day while they were taking things apart to get the rest. Once again the children were there to help and as we kept stuffing more and more into my car they became more and more curious.
"Are you taking these ones too?" asked a girl each time we moved onto a new section.
"Yes," I would say with hardly a glance.
"What are you going to do with all these books?" asked a boy who looked about 14.
"We'll see," I said. "Probably pick out the ones I want and find new homes for the rest."
"How many books can you read per second?" he teased.
He wasn't far off the mark. Nobody else was seeing this but as I took carloads home I realized I was going to have to reuse the boxes. Since I was short on time all I could do was dump the books out on the floor and keep going. As I did this box after box I started to realize how many HUNDREDS of books I had just aquired.
As the day wore on and the books cleard out of the store other things found their way into my car that I hadn't asked for.
"Do you want these floor mats for your store?"
"Sure," I said. I wasn't sure at what point the store became mine but I was too busy to care.
"I just took down some shelves from the back," a man would say. "Are they just going in the dumpster?"
"Offer them to the lady with the books," would be the answer.
"How about this headboard?"
"Try the lady with the books."
"Hey grandpa," the kids asked one of the men. "What are we going to do with all these board games?"
"Give them to the lady with the books."
When it was all done there was a mountain of books on my livingroom floor, another in my bedroom and more still in my car. Pieces of shelving stood in corners. This was either a dream come true - the kind of dream where you dive in and roll around naked - or a nightmare.
Either way there wasn't really time to find out. I only had one more day before Halloween when neighbourhood children would be knocking on my door so I worked as hard as I could to make the livingroom look somewhat normal. Books were moved to the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and basically any nook or crany I could find. But children's books I kept out and used to fill two boxes by the door. When the neighbourhoods came trick or treating they were given more than candy.
"Guess what," I overheard Kim say to the other staff members. "There's a lady here who's agreed to take all the books."
"All the books?" they asked in disbelief.
I didn't take long for myself and the children to fill my car with books and the first of the shelves. Everyone agreed that I could come back the next day while they were taking things apart to get the rest. Once again the children were there to help and as we kept stuffing more and more into my car they became more and more curious.
"Are you taking these ones too?" asked a girl each time we moved onto a new section.
"Yes," I would say with hardly a glance.
"What are you going to do with all these books?" asked a boy who looked about 14.
"We'll see," I said. "Probably pick out the ones I want and find new homes for the rest."
"How many books can you read per second?" he teased.
He wasn't far off the mark. Nobody else was seeing this but as I took carloads home I realized I was going to have to reuse the boxes. Since I was short on time all I could do was dump the books out on the floor and keep going. As I did this box after box I started to realize how many HUNDREDS of books I had just aquired.
As the day wore on and the books cleard out of the store other things found their way into my car that I hadn't asked for.
"Do you want these floor mats for your store?"
"Sure," I said. I wasn't sure at what point the store became mine but I was too busy to care.
"I just took down some shelves from the back," a man would say. "Are they just going in the dumpster?"
"Offer them to the lady with the books," would be the answer.
"How about this headboard?"
"Try the lady with the books."
"Hey grandpa," the kids asked one of the men. "What are we going to do with all these board games?"
"Give them to the lady with the books."
When it was all done there was a mountain of books on my livingroom floor, another in my bedroom and more still in my car. Pieces of shelving stood in corners. This was either a dream come true - the kind of dream where you dive in and roll around naked - or a nightmare.
Either way there wasn't really time to find out. I only had one more day before Halloween when neighbourhood children would be knocking on my door so I worked as hard as I could to make the livingroom look somewhat normal. Books were moved to the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and basically any nook or crany I could find. But children's books I kept out and used to fill two boxes by the door. When the neighbourhoods came trick or treating they were given more than candy.
