Dreams

This just might be the future site of a very, eclectic, funky, comfy bookstore in downtown Shreveport, Louisiana. It would be owned and ran by two very cool, middle-aged women who don't know that they are middle-aged, yet. Me and my BFF.

We have a name for the store, which I don't want to divulge yet, for fear that one of my thousands of readers will take the name and open up their own bookstore with this incredibly, cool name. This month, we're going to begin to do some number-crunching and research on inventory. We also have a visit to a little mom and pop bookstore on the riverfront in Natchitoches planned, about an hour away, in early February. Hopefully, the owners will let us pick their brains. Natchitoches also happens to be the home to one of my favorite writers, Kate Chopin, so while I'm there, I plan to visit the plantation on which she lived.

There's a lot to do but that's part of the dream, right?

We see the store as being like someone's living room. Comfortable chairs and couches in cozy corners, warm lighting and plush, colorful rugs, a diverse selection of books, and of course, barrels of coffee beans. We also want it to be a home for local artists, a place to display and sell their work. And maybe, not so local artists...like my other BF, Diahn and her BF, Linda, both of whom reside in Knoxville, Tennessee. Well, Diahn, currently resides in Washington, DC, but still holds a permanent address in Knoxville. She's complicated that way.

This particular site is two doors down from the new Robinson Film Center, one of my favorite new places in town, a small theatre that shows Independent Films. And across the street is the Artspace.

My downtown. I've always loved it but, the powers that be, have never made it easy for new businesses to open up and thrive. It's strange...there's so much history and beauty there that I can't imagine why local government is so stifling. I'm sure it has to with money. Everything does. So stupid.

Maybe it's time for a couple of middle-aged book lovers to get involved and try to change the face of our downtown.

This looks like a job for Thelma and Louise.