We planned to be back today. But.

The new inventory software's process flow takes nearly one full minute to process a single book, from initial scan to pricing to label printing to shelving. And we have thousands of books, and we started late because we had to order a whole new computer to manage it all.

Plus there's this sticky wicket called GenCon — the gaming conference in Indianapolis. I'm speaking at several sessions of GenCon's Writers' Symposium this year, so I'll be in Indy for a full work week at the end of July. In retrospect, it didn't make a ton of sense to come back for two weeks with the promise of having regular hours, only to close for a week.

On the bright side: Progress, they say, is being made.

I am happy to announce, however, a few new updates:

  • The phone system has been transformed. We formerly relied on a desktop Zoom Phone. We're now on Quo with fancy call trees and whatnot, and we can now legally send and receive text messages at the store's phone number.
  • In January we are launching a classics book club. It'll be a big deal for the long haul, with a title list spanning a decade and more than 700 volumes to pick through.
  • In August we're opening the back office for a few hours after the store closes each Thursday for silent writing time. And by "silent" I mean, yes, no talking or goofing off or you'll be asked to leave. Anyone's welcome provided you're not allergic to cats.
  • As inventory progresses, our entire catalog will be available on eBay, Amazon, Biblio, ABE, Alibris, and on our own website. Each book will be priced individually and competitive with online averages.
  • When we return, we'll accept books for store credit. And because we'll continue to use Square solely for point-of-sale processing, old gift cards are still valid.
  • We'll be able to host events on Friday evenings. Like, say, a book launch party.
  • Our hours will be more reliable, with the caveat that we may close on occasional Saturdays for special events (e.g., Sat Sept. 12, when we'll be at Holland Literary Festival).

Thanks for your patience. This migration is taking far longer than I expected, but also, the end result will be much cleaner and easier to manage than I realized. So, yay?