These will be my last few months at Time Out Bookstore. I have been working here since I was a wee thing in high school (not much shorter than I am today), since Wendy pulled me away from the shelves one afternoon and asked if I'd like to come and work over Christmas. I think I went into shock a little bit, but I remember the excitement that quickly followed "I've got a job! In a BOOK shop!" Next year I will be delving into the scary world of having a full-time career as a Primary School teacher, which I am so excited for, but to do this I have to say goodbye to a place that has been home for nearly seven years. So before I say goodbye to this chapter of my life I thought I'd share with you a little bit about the magic of this place.
My first Christmas working here I think the staff thought I was a little strange. Anyone who has ever worked in retail over Christmas will tell you it is not a time of joy. But here was this fifteen-year-old girl, bright-eyed, arriving early, getting lumped with all of the lowly chores, and still getting disappointment when it came to leaving. I fell in love with the children's room, adopted it as my domain, and to this day have never fully given it back. Now, as a soon-to-be teacher, it gives me so much joy to watch children come in with their passion for reading plastered all over their faces, and to play some role in helping them find books that get them excited. Books have so much to offer us, new worlds to explore and escape into, adventures to go on with fictional-friends, ideas to grapple with, new words to roll around on our tongues. We need books to stoke the fires of our imaginations, and from great readers come great writers to continue the on-going cycle.
Over the years I have worked here I have seen many people come through the door, and so many of these wonderful people have such a heart for this place and the continuation of the bookselling trade. We have some fiercely loyal customers, and I want to say I am so thankful to you (you know who you are) for making these last seven years possible for me and for everyone who works here.
Each morning that I opened the shop and gently wake her up to the new day, I feel like I am being greeted by an old friend. And in some ways I am, I am being greeted by so many old friends, all in their little inky worlds. Words and stories have had such a role in making me who I am, in shaping my dreams and my passions, and so has this shop and all the people who have worked here with me over the years. In a few months I cross over to the other side of the counter, and begin a new chapter with this store in the role of customer. But I know that this family will always have a place for me, and these books will always welcome me back, and this store will always be home.
Thank you for the amazing memories.
