Looking festive

Local churches, businesses, and other groups have been decorating the streetlamps on Main Street, following a Christmas Tree theme. We didn't get in line for that due to missing the memo, but we're regretting it, partly because some of them are fun, some are lovely, and WE could have taken a shot at it! Another reason is that the ambulance crew decorated the tree with various tools of the life-saving trade. Don't get me wrong; I've been on the receiving end of their attention, and I'm a fan, but there's just something goofy about a tree decorated with neck-braces, rubber gloves, surgical masks, and the like, don't you think?

Happy December

We've already had a bit of snow, with more on the way today or tomorrow.

Main Street is looking lovely. Early darkness sure shows off the lights from our various store fronts and lamp posts, but folks are worrying about getting through their holiday chores before bad weather makes that more of a challenge.

Work continues on the new post office (it's nearly closed in, so interior construction can continue during the winter). New windows have been installed on the building that formerly housed Ned's restaurant, but I haven't heard of any tenants yet. This is a tough time to start a retail business, but Winthrop people understand customer loyalty, and will support good local enterprise once it takes root.

The Keep Maine Strong initiative, sponsored by several Chambers of Commerce, has a great message for Winthrop and the rest of our state. Let's hope that, this holiday season, Mainers remember the Main Street business owners who regularly contribute to their communities, whether it's stuff for silent auctions or time spent in committee work.

If you shop in a big box store, or buy from internet sites, but go into your local retail store when you need a booster club donation or a yearbook ad, think about the logic, or lack of logic, in that choice.

Ugh...Killing Books

Every once in a while someone orders a paperback from us, and doesn't pick it up. Sometimes it's because they have changed phone numbers and we weren't able to contact them to let them know their order was here. Sometimes it's because their circumstances have changed and they just can't afford it. Sometimes we never know why, but the book will take up residence here. If nobody else seems to want it either (go figure), we will eventually need to send it back.

Here's when it gets ugly.

Publishers and distributors will only take the front cover, not the whole book. No, I have no idea why they don't just use it to fill an order from some other bookseller; that's just the way it works.

That's when we have to bite the bullet and start killing books so we can get most of our money back. We tear off the covers, and recycle the rest. Those coverless books can neither be sold nor given away, or we'd be violating the terms of our contracts with book suppliers.

So today we got to it, and ugh...it just never gets easier.

State Budget Slashed; Education Takes the Hit

Today's news, according to the Kennebec Journal, is that, due to a budget shortfall, the state budget must be trimmed by $80 million.

Today's news was also in our e-mail In Box this morning, as teacher after teacher wrote to say that their budgets have been frozen, making them unable to spend money on books, money they were initially allocated last September.

Talk about real life being "ripped from the headlines"!

This will impact small businesses, those that employ most Mainers. It will bring layoffs, leading to increased unemployment and reduced state income tax revenues...a downward spiral.

Let's hope the expected economic upturn next year comes, and is substantial.

In the meantime, our schools need help from all of us in their efforts to meet student needs.

Every community has folks who regularly, and generously, donate to nonprofits. If you're one of these fine folks, I hope you will look closer to home, and help out our kids and teachers. Without you there will be no more field trips, no special programs...and no new books.

New Jobs, Business Heating Up....Whew!

Between yesterday and today, two new employers held open houses right here in Winthrop, announcing hundreds of new jobs coming to town. Yesterday, NotifyMD, a company working with medical practices nationwide to improve communications and patient care, and today, Gold Bridge Partners, professional software developers, have announced moves to Winthrop. Cheers to the Winthrop Area Chamber of Commerce, the Western Kennebec Economic Development Alliance, Code Enforcement Officer Beth Young and the Winthrop Planning Board for facilitating. Work continues on the post office, with bricklayers plying their craft every day. The view in the photo is from across the street at Key Bank. Our own business is full steam ahead, with a book fair going out to Temple Beth El in Augusta, a new regional book club, and holiday orders being placed and picked up. Winthrop is truly a great place to live and run a business.

Randall Probert

Randall Probert is one of Maine's many well-kept literary secrets. Retired from a twenty-year career as a Maine Warden in the Matagamon region, he took up writing, publishing a growing line of titles, both non-fiction and fiction. An engaging and pleasant gentleman, he darkens our door here at Apple Valley Books at unscheduled intervals, a stack of books under his arm. Usually we have several of each of his titles at a time, always autographed. We think you'll enjoy his tales of the Maine woods and back-woods Mainers, mined from a lifetime of experience. Although we can get anything, we can only manage easy-as-pie Paypal buttons for a handful of titles at a time. He's worth the space, we think, so all of Randall's books are available here for easy ordering!

Book Fair Week

We're in the middle of the Winthrop Grade School Book Fair, organized by the PTA, and wow is it going well! The kids are happy, the books are going like hotcakes, maybe even like books about hotcakes, and Lynn Plourde is going to do a reading and sign some copies of her numerous and fabulous kids' books this evening. Until we put everything back together after tomorrow, fair warning, our selection for kids is a bit thin, but that's a small price to pay. What's big with kids right now? Kittens, puppies, fairies, horses, Skippyjon Jones books, and Camp Confidential. Subject to change without notice, of course.