Endings and Beginnings

Line Upon Line, the book store where I worked for fifteen years, is closing its doors forever in February. I worked at this store from its very early beginnings when it was located in the attic of a garage contractor, then moved with it to an actual store that was so tiny you could see all the stock from the phone. If someone called to see if you had something, you didn't have to leave the desk! Then we moved to an old house. We thought it was absolutely charming with its fireplace and warped old floors--and so did the mice and other varmints. Since the owner couldn't bear to hurt the little darlings and they wouldn't leave, eventually we moved out instead. We had more space and a great new location-we had arrived! Independent religious bookstores have never made their owners a lot of money, but LUL had owners (several of them) willing to sacrifice profits for the chance to serve their loyal customers. Until, they couldn't do it anymore... Alas, these days, small independent brick and mortar bookstores are closing their doors left and right. It's sad in a way--I love meandering through off-the-beaten-path bookstores and finding the perfect book, like a shiny treasure. However, the old adage, whenever God closes a door, he opens a window, is true in this case too. LUL filled a special place in the market and now those products are available online for those who want to let their fingers do the wandering. Still, nothing will quite replace the feeling of enlightenment that browsing in Line Upon Line Bookstore offered, with its wide selection of religious books, clean fiction, art, and accessories--not to mention the chance to meet and greet old and new friends. Some of the best people in the world worked and shopped at LUL. I will miss them as well. It's a mixed blessing that I quit a year ago to pursue my goal of writing books, rather than selling them. Without LUL, I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to chase that dream. It's there that I found the perfect publisher for the kind of general market young adult fiction that I write. LUL stayed open long enough to launch my career with a lovely signing party when REFUGE came out, something for which I'll be forever grateful! Part of me is a little sad though, that I missed the day-to-day journey of their last year of operation. All the owners from the beginning until now, and all my favorite fellow employees and customers--you know who you are--thanks for the memories! They are sweet. And who knows, maybe there will be a book about it someday!