April, 2008
It seems a bit hard to believe that we are nearing May 2008, that most days now reach a temperature of 70 degrees F, and that LifLife has passed its six-month anniversary. With a firm foundation of the day-to-day activities of the store in place, we’ve been focusing our attention on special events and new LitLife programs. Here’s a quick look at some of the great things planned for the month of May:
• Educator Appreciation Event. Join us for special evening hours on Thursday, May 1, from 6-8pm, in celebration of the efforts of educators. We’ll provide food and drinks, offer select discounts on purchased items, and give away prizes and gift cards.
• Romence Gardens & Greenhouses. We’ll be spending the afternoon on Saturday, May 3, at Garden Party 2008, held at Romence Gardens & Greenhouses, located at 265 Lakeside Drive NE. Visit our display table, sample some food, and enter raffles to win copies of the display books and gift cards.
• Wealthy Street Spring Fling 2008. Keep your schedule open for Saturday, May 17, as Wealthy Street will be celebrating the warmer weather with our annual Spring Fling. Enjoy special shopping events along the entire business district, food and drinks, raffles and give-aways, as well as sidewalk sales.
• Meet and Greet with Paula Nangle. On Thursday, May 29, from 6:30-8:30pm, we’ll be hosting Nangle in her first Grand Rapids appearance! She’ll be talking about her new novel, The Leper Compound, as we provide appetizers and drinks.
In addition to these great events, LitLife is planning to introduce a few other new programs for our customers, including our LitLifer Loyalty Program, summer activities for kids, a summer Book Club Open House, and a Book-of-the-Month feature. We’re also integrating our used book inventory onto the store shelves, so be sure to look for our Gently Read stickers for great prices on barely-used titles.
A few other items of interest:
*I had the great opportunity to travel to London this month to attend the London BookFair. I joined a dozen other U.S. booksellers in representing the States at the event, and had an amazing time: met authors and publishers, explored the literary history of the city, exchanged ideas with both U.S. and U.K. booksellers, and visited some exceptional bookstores. It was a memorable experience, and I returned to Grand Rapids anxious to apply some of the things I saw or heard about here at LitLife.
*LitLife has just learned that we are the proud recipient of a Grand Rapids Historic Preservation Award in the category of Outstanding Historic Preservation Project by an Individual! The awards will be distributed in a televised ceremony with Mayor Heartwell on May 13. What a wonderful validation of all the time, effort, and money spent in creating this special little bookstore!
Stay tuned for more details about our new programs and events. And, as always, please feel free to share your questions, concerns, and comments with your independent neighborhood booksellers—we’d love to hear from you. Happy Spring to you and yours!
- Posted by Roni • Sun, April 27, 2008 - 4:44 pm