At Big Hill Books, we’ve been busy renovating our lower-level space—DIY style. Affectionately referred to as “the Ugly Church Basement,” this space embraces its existing 1970s vibe with gold carpet, flocked wallpaper and donated furnishings to welcome book clubs, community groups and party attendees.

Big Hill Books has now been open for six months. Six months already! So, can I just ask, “Where did the time go?” I know this expression is somewhat cliché. But seriously, what happened to the last six months?!

In the 1984 movie, Footloose, a scene reveals what the movie (and the moment we’re currently in) is all about. Spoiler alert, it’s not dancing. New-to-town Ren McCormack stumbles into this exchange:

I should have anticipated it. The initial restock order, that is. As a new small business owner, I’m learning that thinking one week, two months, half a year (or more) in advance is crucial. But strategic thinking has never been my strong suit. So when our grand opening weekend resulted in hundreds of books flying off our shelves, I had a moment of panic.

Full disclosure—I’m a self-taught bookseller. Almost everything I’ve learned about bookselling, the book industry and owning an independent shop are things I’ve soaked up like a sponge for only the last eighteen months. There is still so much I don’t know.

Words are wonderful. And they’re even better when strung together to deliver a wry rebuke to a story that can be proven patently false, as Mark Twain did in 1897 when London newspapers printed the rumor that he'd recently died: “Tell them reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

I'd talked myself out of using this month's newsletter to address book bans. "Too much too soon," I told myself. "Big Hill Books hasn't even opened yet."

Then President Biden specifically addressed book banning in his re-election campaign announcement. If our president considers this topic important enough for the 2024 election, surely a new bookstore owner shouldn’t shy away from it.

I wish I could say my dream was always to own a bookstore. But that isn’t true. Don’t get me wrong. I love books. I just always thought of myself as a lifelong customer, not a bookstore owner.

So how did this plot twist occur? Well, that’s a long story—one better shared in person.