Well it looks like Mr. Books shop is famous at last. The story about the break in has not only appeared in he Kent and Sussex Courier now it's in the Daily Mail as well. For those of you well wishers who have commented here and on twitter that it's kind of done me a favour I say I'd still swap the publicity for not having had all the hassle of the last week. Sorting out glazers, secuity companies invoices, clearing up the crushed book related gifts, speaking to restorers about antique sliding book end repairs, endless conversations with my landlord and his maintenance men etc etc. Not to mention that paranoid feeling that this sort of episode brings on. I've spent much of this week in the shop thinking that every one who looks slightly scruffy (which includes most book collectors!) is about to come and rob me at gun point. So no I don't feel "lucky" as one customer suggested; I'd just rather it hadn't have happened and I'd just had a really normal non-eventful week. But since it did I may as well have something positive out of it and a little publicity never did no harm. Was it Oscar Wilde who said: There's only one thing in the world worse than being robbed and that's not being robbed?! Or something along those lines....
For those who feel sorry enough for me, and all those other local independent bookshops up and down the country, you can always come in the shop and have a browse. If everyone in the borough of Tonbridge and Malling came and spent a fiver in Mr. Books I could retire next week! Feel free to make a donation by paypal by clicking on the button to the right if you can't make it along to he shop. I'll donate half of all the money raised to a victims of crime charity or a booksellers in need type charity....
3 comments:
This unfortunate incident has well and truly put MR Books's name on the map TB, but I take your point about it being hassle you could do without, to say nothing as well of the uneasy feelings it must be giving you.
I was fortunate, when I had my off-licence, not to have suffered from this sort of thing. Mind you it did get a bit lonely, and slightly creepy, some nights, especially when things were quiet. I'm not certain the lump of wood I kept under the counter would have been much of a deterent to any would be robbers. Knowing the crazy way the justice system works in this country, it probably would have been me facing charges if I had used this makeshift cosh on any wrong-doers trying to make off with the day's takings!
Nothing at all to do with the unfortunate breaking, for which, I am truly sorry for Mr Books, lets hope the culprit is sent to the gallows, or worse! What has completely outraged me today, is to notice Oxfam has opened up a secondhand bookshop in direct competition to Mr Books! How the hell can this be allowed? I don't like Oxfam, the very fact that they have been around for donkeys years is testamont to their own failure to wipe out poverty, which is as bad as ever! Now they are on the High Street, paying no poll tax, adding sod all to the local community and selling books imported from all parts of the country! It's an outrage that I am forced to support Oxfam, which is likely to harm legitimate, tax paying High Street businesses!
Woops that was meant to be break in!
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