The (IMO) Best Bookstore In The World - by JANICE MUNDAY

Since we have been chatting about bookstores, I dug out this message that
was posted by Janice Munday way back in 1999. Nobody can "emphasize" online
quite like Janice could, so I have cut & pasted the whole message, as she
wrote it.

Enjoy!

Purrs to all,
Flippy.


=============== OPEN QUOTE ===============

From: (Janice Munday)
Subject: The (IMO) Best Bookstore In The World (Was: Cats in shops)
Date: 1999/03/07
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.anecdotes


We have *the* most wonderful used book store near us -- it's made
up of five or six separate buildings scattered on about a quarter-acre
of wooded land, with paths through the trees leading from one to the
other. It looks like a smallish campground/tourist park, rather than a
commercial store.
The central area is relatively open, with swings, slides,
playhouses, and picnic tables. They invite you to come and eat lunch,
and browse while your kids play, even if you don't intend to buy.
(Though you usually *do* end up buying!)
The best part, though? The (at last count) four cats and two big,
lovable lunks of dogs who live there.
You're sure to be escorted from building to building by at least
one cat, "following ahead of you" and telling you all about the Great
New Books they've just put in *this* one, adding themselves to the
ever-present tripping hazards of tree roots, toys, and happy kids,
chasing and being chased by dogs. Or one (or two) cats will join
you in curling up in one of the big, deep armchairs that are in each
building, while you "just make sure" that *this* is the book you want --
*if* they haven't staked out the comfiest chair already, for their own
use, that is.
One of the chairs in the Mystery Shed is labeled "I belong to 3B --
Do Not Sit Here Without Permission!" (3B -- Big Black Beast -- is *very*
protective of *his* chair, and gets upset if it's being used by a Mere
Customer when he wants it. You'll Hear About It, if you *dare* to do
such a Horribly Impolite Thing as sit in *his* chair! He has an... um
"interesting" vocabulary, too. g)

The animals all have free run of the whole place (I think they own
it, actually, and selling books is only a ruse to get people to come in
to pet them, play with them, and feed them treats) *except* on the
Saturday afternoon/evening before Easter. The owners (the humans, I
mean) have a huge Easter Egg Hunt every year for all the nursery-school
and kindergarten age kids who want to come, *and* their pets, and they
have to confine the animals until it starts. They begin hiding the eggs
(the hollow plastic ones, which they fill with candy for the kids and
treats for the kids' pets) on Saturday night, and if the animals are
loose, *they* collect eggs. Carol and Mark have said that it's *very*
discouraging to (finally!) get all the upwards of five hundred eggs
hidden, then go back to the main building -- and discover that *every*
*single* *animal* is guarding their own private stash, which they've
retrieved and piled in front of the door... g
Which reminds me -- when *is* Easter this year? I have to get a few
bags of candy and some pet treats to take to them. They don't solicit
contributions, but they accept them gladly. Last year I'd picked up a
huge bag of the plastic eggs at a tag sale, to take along with the
fillers. Their animals always manage to abscond with a few of the eggs
for themselves, and there are always a few that just don't get found,
even with all the kids and animals hunting for them. g

It's a wonderful place, especially on a nice summer day -- there's
something special about a store that invites you to spend some Quiet
Time sitting out under the trees, reading and sharing your lunch with a
cat (or three) and the dogs while your kids play. Or to spend a wet day
curled up in one of the chairs with a purring cat while the rain pounds
on the roof of whichever building you're in... (3B has a purr that is
like none I've ever heard before, and I've heard a *lot* of purring
cats. He's clearly audible from outside whichever building he's in, or
all the way across the picnic/play area.)
The main building, the largest one, even has a big stone fireplace
kept burning on any wet and/or chilly day, with couches and chairs
around it, and a there's a coffee/espresso/cappucino machine with big
heavy mugs, and homemade cookies, danish and sweet buns, all available
at a nominal cost. (The cats keep a sharp eye on the milk pitcher, and
expect a share of the whipped cream, whether *you* planned to have some
or not.)

I'm sorry to run on about a bookstore in a NG that's about cats,
but I *love* this place (have you gathered that? g), and they *do*
have cats there -- several of them, all fat and sassy, "helpful" and
friendly. It's my idea of the *perfect* bookstore; what could possibly
be better? Mark and Carol have the right idea, IMO -- to *enjoy* what
you're doing, and please the customers in the process.
There are a lot of used book stores in this area, and most of them
have at least one cat, but there's only one store like this one. I wish
there were more!

JEM

I don't suffer from insanity......I'm enjoying every minute of it!


=============== CLOSE QUOTE ===============


IN LOVING MEMORY OF JANICE MUNDAY. WE MISS YOU.

On 2008-08-07 18:54:02 -0500, "Flippy" said:

Since we have been chatting about bookstores, I dug out this message that
was posted by Janice Munday way back in 1999. Nobody can "emphasize" online
quite like Janice could, so I have cut & pasted the whole message, as she
wrote it.

Enjoy!

Purrs to all,
Flippy.


=============== OPEN QUOTE ===============

From: (Janice Munday)
Subject: The (IMO) Best Bookstore In The World (Was: Cats in shops)
Date: 1999/03/07
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.anecdotes


We have *the* most wonderful used book store near us -- it's made
up of five or six separate buildings scattered on about a quarter-acre
of wooded land, with paths through the trees leading from one to the
other. It looks like a smallish campground/tourist park, rather than a
commercial store.

JEM! *sighs* I miss her and Dave both.

Flippy wrote:

=============== OPEN QUOTE ===============

From: (Janice Munday)
Subject: The (IMO) Best Bookstore In The World (Was: Cats in shops)
Date: 1999/03/07
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.anecdotes

We have *the* most wonderful used book store near us -- it's made
up of five or six separate buildings scattered on about a quarter-acre
of wooded land, with paths through the trees leading from one to the
other. It looks like a smallish campground/tourist park, rather than a
commercial store.

[snip description of fabulous place]

Well, I sure wish I knew the name of that place, and where it was! I
guess Janice was from Colorado? (For some reason I thought she lived
in Indiana or Ohio or someplace in the eastern Midwest US.)

Thanks for sharing this post, Flippy.

--
Joyce ^..^

(To email me, remove the X's from my user name.)

"Gracecat" wrote in message
news:2008080719102950073-gracecat@bellkittysouthnet...
On 2008-08-07 18:54:02 -0500, "Flippy" said:

Since we have been chatting about bookstores, I dug out this message that
was posted by Janice Munday way back in 1999. Nobody can "emphasize"
online
quite like Janice could, so I have cut & pasted the whole message, as she
wrote it.

Enjoy!

Purrs to all,
Flippy.


=============== OPEN QUOTE ===============

From: (Janice Munday)
Subject: The (IMO) Best Bookstore In The World (Was: Cats in shops)
Date: 1999/03/07
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.anecdotes


We have *the* most wonderful used book store near us -- it's made
up of five or six separate buildings scattered on about a quarter-acre
of wooded land, with paths through the trees leading from one to the
other. It looks like a smallish campground/tourist park, rather than a
commercial store.

JEM! *sighs* I miss her and Dave both.


Me too. We could have used them both this last month.

Pam S. lonely

wrote in message
...

Well, I sure wish I knew the name of that place, and where it was! I
guess Janice was from Colorado? (For some reason I thought she lived
in Indiana or Ohio or someplace in the eastern Midwest US.)

Thanks for sharing this post, Flippy.


I thought that she lived in the Boston area. Anyone know?

Pam S.

Flippy wrote:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF JANICE MUNDAY. WE MISS YOU.

Thank you for posting this, Flippy. It was originally posted before my
time, so I hadn't heard about this wonderful bookstore, and also it is
always a pleasure to read one of JEM's epistles. We surely do miss her.

--
Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.

I thought that she lived in the Boston area. Anyone know?

Pam S.

Janice lived with her mum, Norma, in New London CT.

Flippy.

Thank you Flippy, that was a treat.
Charleen who loves bookstores

"Flippy" wrote in message
...
Since we have been chatting about bookstores, I dug out this message that
was posted by Janice Munday way back in 1999. Nobody can "emphasize"
online quite like Janice could, so I have cut & pasted the whole message,
as she wrote it.

Enjoy!

Purrs to all,
Flippy.


=============== OPEN QUOTE ===============

From: (Janice Munday)
Subject: The (IMO) Best Bookstore In The World (Was: Cats in shops)
Date: 1999/03/07
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.anecdotes


We have *the* most wonderful used book store near us -- it's made
up of five or six separate buildings scattered on about a quarter-acre
of wooded land, with paths through the trees leading from one to the
other. It looks like a smallish campground/tourist park, rather than a
commercial store.
The central area is relatively open, with swings, slides,
playhouses, and picnic tables. They invite you to come and eat lunch,
and browse while your kids play, even if you don't intend to buy.
(Though you usually *do* end up buying!)
The best part, though? The (at last count) four cats and two big,
lovable lunks of dogs who live there.
You're sure to be escorted from building to building by at least
one cat, "following ahead of you" and telling you all about the Great
New Books they've just put in *this* one, adding themselves to the
ever-present tripping hazards of tree roots, toys, and happy kids,
chasing and being chased by dogs. Or one (or two) cats will join
you in curling up in one of the big, deep armchairs that are in each
building, while you "just make sure" that *this* is the book you want --
*if* they haven't staked out the comfiest chair already, for their own
use, that is.
One of the chairs in the Mystery Shed is labeled "I belong to 3B --
Do Not Sit Here Without Permission!" (3B -- Big Black Beast -- is *very*
protective of *his* chair, and gets upset if it's being used by a Mere
Customer when he wants it. You'll Hear About It, if you *dare* to do
such a Horribly Impolite Thing as sit in *his* chair! He has an... um
"interesting" vocabulary, too. g)

The animals all have free run of the whole place (I think they own
it, actually, and selling books is only a ruse to get people to come in
to pet them, play with them, and feed them treats) *except* on the
Saturday afternoon/evening before Easter. The owners (the humans, I
mean) have a huge Easter Egg Hunt every year for all the nursery-school
and kindergarten age kids who want to come, *and* their pets, and they
have to confine the animals until it starts. They begin hiding the eggs
(the hollow plastic ones, which they fill with candy for the kids and
treats for the kids' pets) on Saturday night, and if the animals are
loose, *they* collect eggs. Carol and Mark have said that it's *very*
discouraging to (finally!) get all the upwards of five hundred eggs
hidden, then go back to the main building -- and discover that *every*
*single* *animal* is guarding their own private stash, which they've
retrieved and piled in front of the door... g
Which reminds me -- when *is* Easter this year? I have to get a few
bags of candy and some pet treats to take to them. They don't solicit
contributions, but they accept them gladly. Last year I'd picked up a
huge bag of the plastic eggs at a tag sale, to take along with the
fillers. Their animals always manage to abscond with a few of the eggs
for themselves, and there are always a few that just don't get found,
even with all the kids and animals hunting for them. g

It's a wonderful place, especially on a nice summer day -- there's
something special about a store that invites you to spend some Quiet
Time sitting out under the trees, reading and sharing your lunch with a
cat (or three) and the dogs while your kids play. Or to spend a wet day
curled up in one of the chairs with a purring cat while the rain pounds
on the roof of whichever building you're in... (3B has a purr that is
like none I've ever heard before, and I've heard a *lot* of purring
cats. He's clearly audible from outside whichever building he's in, or
all the way across the picnic/play area.)
The main building, the largest one, even has a big stone fireplace
kept burning on any wet and/or chilly day, with couches and chairs
around it, and a there's a coffee/espresso/cappucino machine with big
heavy mugs, and homemade cookies, danish and sweet buns, all available
at a nominal cost. (The cats keep a sharp eye on the milk pitcher, and
expect a share of the whipped cream, whether *you* planned to have some
or not.)

I'm sorry to run on about a bookstore in a NG that's about cats,
but I *love* this place (have you gathered that? g), and they *do*
have cats there -- several of them, all fat and sassy, "helpful" and
friendly. It's my idea of the *perfect* bookstore; what could possibly
be better? Mark and Carol have the right idea, IMO -- to *enjoy* what
you're doing, and please the customers in the process.
There are a lot of used book stores in this area, and most of them
have at least one cat, but there's only one store like this one. I wish
there were more!

JEM

I don't suffer from insanity......I'm enjoying every minute of it!


=============== CLOSE QUOTE ===============


IN LOVING MEMORY OF JANICE MUNDAY. WE MISS YOU.

"Flippy" wrote in message
. au
I thought that she lived in the Boston area. Anyone know?

Pam S.

Janice lived with her mum, Norma, in New London CT.

Would have to be a place that gets utterly *frigid* in winter - because
otherwise she wouldn't have been able to make frozen bubbles for Hei Yu.

Yowie

"Flippy" wrote in message
...
Since we have been chatting about bookstores, I dug out this message that
was posted by Janice Munday way back in 1999. Nobody can "emphasize"
online quite like Janice could, so I have cut & pasted the whole message,
as she wrote it.

Enjoy!

Purrs to all,
Flippy.


=============== OPEN QUOTE ===============

From: (Janice Munday)
Subject: The (IMO) Best Bookstore In The World (Was: Cats in shops)
Date: 1999/03/07
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.anecdotes


We have *the* most wonderful used book store near us -- it's made
up of five or six separate buildings scattered on about a quarter-acre
of wooded land, with paths through the trees leading from one to the
other. It looks like a smallish campground/tourist park, rather than a
commercial store.
The central area is relatively open, with swings, slides,
playhouses, and picnic tables. They invite you to come and eat lunch,
and browse while your kids play, even if you don't intend to buy.
(Though you usually *do* end up buying!)
The best part, though? The (at last count) four cats and two big,
lovable lunks of dogs who live there.
You're sure to be escorted from building to building by at least
one cat, "following ahead of you" and telling you all about the Great
New Books they've just put in *this* one, adding themselves to the
ever-present tripping hazards of tree roots, toys, and happy kids,
chasing and being chased by dogs. Or one (or two) cats will join
you in curling up in one of the big, deep armchairs that are in each
building, while you "just make sure" that *this* is the book you want --
*if* they haven't staked out the comfiest chair already, for their own
use, that is.
One of the chairs in the Mystery Shed is labeled "I belong to 3B --
Do Not Sit Here Without Permission!" (3B -- Big Black Beast -- is *very*
protective of *his* chair, and gets upset if it's being used by a Mere
Customer when he wants it. You'll Hear About It, if you *dare* to do
such a Horribly Impolite Thing as sit in *his* chair! He has an... um
"interesting" vocabulary, too. g)

The animals all have free run of the whole place (I think they own
it, actually, and selling books is only a ruse to get people to come in
to pet them, play with them, and feed them treats) *except* on the
Saturday afternoon/evening before Easter. The owners (the humans, I
mean) have a huge Easter Egg Hunt every year for all the nursery-school
and kindergarten age kids who want to come, *and* their pets, and they
have to confine the animals until it starts. They begin hiding the eggs
(the hollow plastic ones, which they fill with candy for the kids and
treats for the kids' pets) on Saturday night, and if the animals are
loose, *they* collect eggs. Carol and Mark have said that it's *very*
discouraging to (finally!) get all the upwards of five hundred eggs
hidden, then go back to the main building -- and discover that *every*
*single* *animal* is guarding their own private stash, which they've
retrieved and piled in front of the door... g
Which reminds me -- when *is* Easter this year? I have to get a few
bags of candy and some pet treats to take to them. They don't solicit
contributions, but they accept them gladly. Last year I'd picked up a
huge bag of the plastic eggs at a tag sale, to take along with the
fillers. Their animals always manage to abscond with a few of the eggs
for themselves, and there are always a few that just don't get found,
even with all the kids and animals hunting for them. g

It's a wonderful place, especially on a nice summer day -- there's
something special about a store that invites you to spend some Quiet
Time sitting out under the trees, reading and sharing your lunch with a
cat (or three) and the dogs while your kids play. Or to spend a wet day
curled up in one of the chairs with a purring cat while the rain pounds
on the roof of whichever building you're in... (3B has a purr that is
like none I've ever heard before, and I've heard a *lot* of purring
cats. He's clearly audible from outside whichever building he's in, or
all the way across the picnic/play area.)
The main building, the largest one, even has a big stone fireplace
kept burning on any wet and/or chilly day, with couches and chairs
around it, and a there's a coffee/espresso/cappucino machine with big
heavy mugs, and homemade cookies, danish and sweet buns, all available
at a nominal cost. (The cats keep a sharp eye on the milk pitcher, and
expect a share of the whipped cream, whether *you* planned to have some
or not.)

I'm sorry to run on about a bookstore in a NG that's about cats,
but I *love* this place (have you gathered that? g), and they *do*
have cats there -- several of them, all fat and sassy, "helpful" and
friendly. It's my idea of the *perfect* bookstore; what could possibly
be better? Mark and Carol have the right idea, IMO -- to *enjoy* what
you're doing, and please the customers in the process.
There are a lot of used book stores in this area, and most of them
have at least one cat, but there's only one store like this one. I wish
there were more!

JEM

I don't suffer from insanity......I'm enjoying every minute of it!


=============== CLOSE QUOTE ===============


IN LOVING MEMORY OF JANICE MUNDAY. WE MISS YOU.


If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to open up a book store *just* like
this one - except with more cats! ;

Fluffy Tails,

CatNipped