From Jim Stalker
Creston
A big “Thank You” to Bailey Poolman for featuring my circumstance in the Advertiser’s Senior Living insert. A couple years into retirement and I realized Social Security wasn’t enough to carry my wife and myself through to a comfortable living, what with the ever increasing costs of taxes, insurance, food, medical expenses and all the things that have or will eventually hit us.
When we sold our business and building, running a bookstore was the least of my concerns. Retirement was what we were told to reach for, so we did. A couple years down the line, the expenses began to build up and I needed a part-time job. Since book selling was about the only thing I’d accomplished in my life, it seemed like a natural.
There was one catch. Having sold my original bookstore, I’d have to start from scratch. Two years had changed everything in the book business. Bookstores nationwide had folded. A new approach was needed. Alex and Reginia Smith has found theirs, reaching a younger crowd and some other things they do. We wish them well as they continue to build their own bookstore.
I’ve always been a little old fashioned. I don’t use the internet to sell books. I only sell books printed on paper and must rely on the people who walk through my door. It’s imperative they make that effort. Even so, as my store is located inside another store, Thompson’s Shop and Save, it can be a little confusing to find me at 111 N. Maple St. I am, however, just a phone call away at 641-202-4854. It would be nice to see some of my old customers. But again, thank you Bailey and the staff at CNA. If I continue to progress, I’ll be better able to advertise.
