November - December

Another month has come and gone, and LitLife is well into its third month of business now.  November brought a number of wonderful surprises, events, and stories to our literary adventure on Wealthy Street.

Early in the month, LitLife managed to move its Halloween merchandise out of the way to make room for Thanksgiving items.  This shift was, of course, most noticeable in the cookbook section, where fantastic references for Thanksgiving meals were prominently on display, along with a few select gift items to make the holiday more appealing.

On November 8th, we were asked to attend the Neighborhood Business Alliance and Neighborhood Ventures Award Ceremony at Wealthy Street Theatre.  Nominated for the Best Interior Renovation, we were pleasantly surprised to hear Mayor Heartwell call our name for the prize!  We received a great certificate (just waiting to be framed), and a wonderful Lucite plaque that holds pride of place near our cash register.  Though one doesn’t necessarily complete such projects for the sake of recognition, we appreciate the reception of community with regard to the time and efforts spent in converting the Old Kent Bank building into the bookstore it is today.  (A photomontage of the renovation is available on the website – just click on the Photos link in About the Store).

Now, as winter has arrived, we are getting ready for the Holiday season.  On Thursday, December 6th, we took part in the Wealthy Street Holiday Stroll.  We featured live music with a violinist, guitarist, and vocalist, served a special blend of Harney & Sons Holiday Tea, offered sweet treats, and held a prize drawing for a tea set (congratulations to Dawn, our winner!).  We have lots of wonderful ideas for holiday gifts, including books, reading and writing accessories, stocking stuffers, decorations and ornaments, tea sets, and more.

With more than 60 days of business gone by, we are starting to realize what fun it is to be part of the Wealthy Street business neighborhood.  We’ve had great fun getting to know our customers (and their reading preferences), sharing stories with other business members on the block, finding new inventory that just might not be found elsewhere in Grand Rapids, and navigating the challenges of the bookselling world.  As we near 2008, we hope to offer some new and updated features at the store.  We’re working on a loyalty club (we can’t discount like the big-box chain stores, but we love the idea of rewarding loyal customers), hosting book groups, sponsoring author events and book signings, and developing other offerings (birthday buckets for kids, gift registry, etc).  Be sure to check our website often as we make our way into the New Year.  Happy Holidays to you and yours from both of us at LitLife!