Rick Simonson

Summer, continued (Bello!)
August 27, 2007

This space has made mention of some of the tides of summer traffic in our store (Elliott Bay) as the season has waxed, and now starts to wane. (Yes, daylight is less each day, and yes, even on days when the temperature hits a certain high mark, it's only there but a time ... the mornings and evenings are cooling.) It still does continue, summer meandering in, and does, to a surprising degree, on through September.

Always a fun part of the mix of people are those who work in books elsewhere: Coffee House Press' Allen Kornblum and his significant other (not the press) passed through, with word that the two of them dated back to pre-Coffee House days (i.e., Toothpaste Press). A few New York people, often with family members in tow, have said hello, gotten the quick tour. Sometimes, it's New York book folk here to visit family, or here for a wedding.

Then, as alluded to before, when a young Tehran-residing bookseller was in with family that lives here, there are those from farther away.

Two years ago, right as Labor Day approached, I remember, a woman asked for me. She had lived in Seattle and gone to school here, now was readying to go home and launch a business with colleagues. They wanted to open a bookstore and cafe in their home city ... and might I have advice, especially with regard to how we programmed authors and such. Where is this home, where would this bookstore and cafe be?

It took over a year, and the bookstore idea morphed into something more along the lines of a lending library, but there in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, you will see that the young woman who queried me, Hanaa Al-Moaibed, and three other partners, have this cafe with books and programs going. Otacuschez - www.otacuschez.com - which one can navigate in English or Arabic - offers interesting insight into what is going on there. There's a Saudi Gazette article by Suzan Zawawi in there, that talks a little of what they, and some other cafe operators, are doing to foster reading and community.

My memory of this was kindled by another visitor, late this past week. In with what appeared to be a husband and son (as they did turn out to be) was a woman with a certain beaming vivaciousnes: she seemed to know her way around, even as I was sure I had never met or seen her before. We approached each other, May I help ...? Everything came out quickly, with enthusiasm and intensity - what did I do here? Did I know things about this bookstore? Yes, I would say I could.

This woman turned out to be Gabriella Maggiulli, owner of Liberia Bibli ... in Roma.

Rome? Goodness, how, why here? A daughter was coming to Seattle to do graduate work in neurobiology. She was just-arrived, as was the rest of the family, to visit, to see this city new in their lives, so distant, too, from Rome. Seattle seemed to be finding itself in favor, though, and this bookstore ... 'Bello ... bello' was the most common comment. It was a quick tour, mostly of the public areas - the various sections of the store, different nooks and crannies, our space downstairs where readings happened, the cafe ... While being shown the store, we had questions for her. And Bibli's website - www.bibli.it - shows a beautiful, gorgeous store, with long hours, great programming (Michael Cunningham and other U.S. writers have read there, music is presented). All of us looking at it immediately wanted to start a mutual exchange program; they could come and work here, we would go and work there. 

Everything about this visit was quick - in part, it appeared, the presence of the bemused, forbearing husband and son. They were smiling and good sports. They had gone through this a few times, one suspected. That said, even when we thought they had all left, it turned out they were still about; there were places we had shown her which she wanted to show them. She seemed to like the handwritten shelf talkers, both those scattered with books throughout the store, and a display of particularly, staff-picked, recommended titles.

We got in some questions with her - Bibli had been open twelve years; the programs are wonderful, hard work, and necessary for the business (nods of familiarity), what the competitve situation is (also familiar). Through the talk there was a sense that her English wasn't/isn't yet quite up to detailed talk of business (but then neither is our Italian). We can all work on that.

While a small gift of the store was given her in honor of the visit - and with hopes for more to come - she and her husband and son did a bit of 'souvenir' shopping on their own. I introduced her to the person helping her, and next thing I saw, Ms. Maggiulli was behind the counter, somehow helping with the transaction. Oh, we are missing our work place, yes? Her husband and son laughed.

Fervent good wishes, and wishes for again, soon, were expressed, as they finally did leave. Next time, I promised, you'll get the backroom tour, which is what you probably want even more than seeing the store's public domain. And yes, if you're homesick and here, we could have some work for you ...

Charming  and charged up, she was, and is: I can't think of anyone doing this here in the U.S. as ebullient or vibrant as Ms. Maggiulli (and yes, there are some characters among us). It was definitely a lift to the day, to this easing from summer to what comes next.

Posted by Rick Simonson on August 27, 2007 | Comments (0)