Fare thee well, Oh Bloggue Reader

I believe it may be obvious what these are pictures of, namely, the store and me, but I figured I would post these pictures in case local folks may have forgotten what the inside of the store and I look like.
-What? What does she mean?
It has been very sloooooow at The English Major Bookstore. I am not complaining as I have been afforded the opportunity to do some much needed organizing and overall cleaning, (even on my day off!) and have put many, many, many, many new books on the shelves. Do come and check it out, at your leisure, of course.
Fare thee well, Oh Bloggue Reader.
Much Blessings.

Colin

Welcome Colin James Morley, my brother Mike and his wife, Amy's, first child born May 12, 2009 at a whopping 8 oz.! Way to go, ya'll!!!

The Power of The Green Smoothie

Well, I think we have all stared at my face long enough. I am at the end of my ninth day, entering my tenth, of about 99% raw food. I am really happy about it and feel flippin great. I have studied the Raw Food Diet for many years and have always been moving in that direction, but thanks to the power of The Green Smoothie, I have actually, and I think for the first time in my life, been able to overcome my cravings for junk food in all its ridiculous forms. I say ridiculous, by the way, because it has, in its name, Junk.That makes it ridiculous, no?
Green Smoothies, which have absolutely nothing to do with books or the selling thereof, are a fruit smoothie made with about 60% fruit and 40% greens. So, one big handful of greens in a fruit smoothie and there you are, A Green Smoothie. They taste great and have been immensely helpful in getting pizza to release me from its grip. Pizza and many other forms of bad nutrition can go suck an egg while I enjoy goodness.
That is it. That is all I have to say tonight is I love Green Smoothies.
Oh, and all the many books folks brought me when they were doing there spring cleaning have actually made their way to the shelves. Not all, but an awful lot- I have been shelving books like mad!
By the way, I don't eat raw meat, raw eggs or raw milk!

Hidden Bookstore Offers Escape for Patrons

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READING IN MIDTOWN: Karin Morley, the owner of The English Major Bookstore, opened the Midtown business less than a year ago. -- PHOTOS BY TOM WILEMON

Tucked in a corner and barely visible from Madison Avenue, The English Major Bookstore is the perfect place to browse for a good read without worrying about pocketbook woes or stumbling over crowds.

“Today, a lady called it her escape,” said owner Karin Morley, who opened the store at Tap into millions of public records, notices and articles on The Daily News.

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Crowded comfort

Parking is limited, but Morley does get walk-in traffic because she’s sandwiched between two Midtown haunts, the Audiomania vintage record store and the Lamplighter Lounge beer and burger joint. Morley values developing repeat customers more than making a quick profit.

“I price a book based on the condition and what I think I can sell it for, but I’m a mom and pop store without the pop right now,” she said. “If you can make an offer, unless it’s a really expensive book, I want you to come back. If you have $4, I’ll take $4 for a book. That’s really been a good deal to learn how to be more generous because I want you to come back.”

The English Major is a crowded, yet comfortable space where tattered chairs are strategically placed and pets aren’t shy about claiming their spots. On a recent rainy day, Fritz, a gray and white cat, lounged in a cardbox box, while Muriel, a chihuahua-mix, stayed close to Morley.

Original art hangs high on the walls over the bookshelves. Morley said she’s looking for more artists to showcase their work.

She admits that her business is not the place to go looking for a specific book.

“Sometimes, I can fulfill that demand, but there (are) several people who go away without the book they were looking for, which makes me feel like I should have every book in the world, which I don’t,” she said.

Getting started

The business gets its name because Morley was an English major at the University of Memphis, where she graduated from in 2004. Morley is a 12-year resident of the city and also works as a carriage driver Downtown.

Owning a bookstore has been a long-time dream for Morley, who received guidance from the Memphis Renaissance Business Center and counselors from SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives).

“This is my starter store, and I really believe that. It may not be the best location, but it’s the best location for what’s going on right now.”
– Karin Morley
Owner, The English Major Bookstore

Ideally, she’d like a location with more parking, but Morley said she is considering putting a bicycle rack out front to compensate for that.

“This is my starter store, and I really believe that,” she said. “It may not be the best location, but it’s the best location for what’s going on right now. The parking is not that great. A lot of people say that. It took a long time for people to realize I was here. I’m tucked away back in a corner. I’m just not super noticeable.”

The store has about 14,000 books. Morley takes donations, buys titles and trades books.

Chris Mabry helped her clean, renovate and move into the location.

CAT NAPPING: Fritz, one of the store pets at The English Major Bookstore, soaks up some literature through his furry coat. -- PHOTO BY TOM WILEMON

“We’re in kind of economic bad times,” Mabry said. “Karen is providing reading for people who couldn’t afford it otherwise. The store is set up to be a comfortable place for people to come in, to sit down, to read a book and to look around and maybe spend some money and buy a book at a very deflated cost.”

Morley said she’s made her share of mistakes running the first-time business, such as her initial decision to stay open on Sundays.

“Nobody came in,” she said. “I was here if people wanted to come in, but nobody ever did.”

Now, she spends her Sundays Downtown taking Memphis visitors on carriage rides. Several of the people she’s met that way have ended up shopping at her store.

“A lot of times, I pull back and I think I really like being small – especially since it’s a first-time business,” Morley said. “I can make these mistakes and they are not affecting very many people.”

She said her wisest decision was to start out small with a one-woman operation, but she hopes to grow the business.

“I do want an employee at some point, or a couple of them,” Morley said. “They are going to be so well taken care of. I would appreciate them being here so much.”

Well, that was not exactly the Powerball image I was looking for, but that is the front porch and hammock I would like. The store is getting cleaned today, as it just won't clean itself, no matter my prompting. Oh, Attention-Seeking store got into Monday's Daily News. I will include the link here- http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=42409
Great article, very well written. This Karin person sounds fascinating and so focused on growing her business. What does she need a Powerball win for?
Have a gorgeous day on this gorgeous day!

The store is a little bit of a ham these days.

I love the '*meditate' one. I was feeling rather peaceful when I began this blog and thusly, these pictures are explained. I think that to "release all other concerns" for a few minutes every day is a great idea. I have discovered that stress-relieving techniques may not always seem to be working, right as you do them, like my new found endeavour of knitting, but it is after the fact that you notice a reduction in stress. Ommmmmm...
On a completely different subject, my family and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Colin, my little brother and his wife, Amy's, first baby. Any..minute..now. Michael, my bro, said it is like waiting for Christmas morning, every day. I am going to be an aunt, again. Yay! This is my eighth time to receive the honor.
By the way, English Major Blog Readers, I am going to be in The Daily News and their affiliate, The Memphis News, this coming Monday and Tuesday. Rather, the store and I are sharing the spotlight, although the store is a little bit of a ham these days. "Look at me!", "Let's advertise more!" and the like are daily occurrences coming from the store. Woe is me, I say unto you. What is a proprietress to do?
Stock incredible books at more incredible prices? That ought to do it!

The Universe is a great place to be.

I have a disastrous, deep, raging gratitude for the gorgeous chair like the one shown here, which I have acquired because the Universe is a great place to be. This chair is making me happy and relaxed and I am digging it, immensely. Therefore, if you needed some reason to come by the store besides the vast array of utterly fabulous books at equally phenomonal prices, you now have it. You can come in and say,"Uh, yeah, hi, I heard there was this amazing executive chair here and I was wondering if I could, y'now, see it." I will more than likely not only show it to you but also allow you to sit in it, briefly, of course, and will do all this with as hospitable a spirit as I can muster. Will I urge you to also buy a book or two, yes, probably, but no pressure. You can just come look at (admire?) the chair. I would if I were you!
By the way, I read last night that the word spirit comes from, in many different languages, the word for breath. I Love That.
From Executive Chair Wonderland,
Miss K