Stray Dog Bookshop in Three Rivers is a real treat

The Stray Dog Bookshop held their Grand Opening in October of 2006 in Three Rivers, MI. They have a stock of around 10,000 used books in hardcover and paperback. Compared to the big dog in town, Lowry's Books and More, The Stray Dog Bookshop would appear to be more of a boutique bookstore. Lowry's has an inventory of over 90,000 used books in addition to 18,000 new books in their inventory. However, I think that The Stray Dog Bookshop might be able to carve out a nice little niche for themselves. The bookstore is located in a refurbished 1852 two-story home that is well-lit and cozy - perfect for a bookstore in my opinion.

On a recent visit I found that their selection was extremely well organized and it made it quite easy to browse for particular authors. You don't always find that with used bookstores. A lot of times the books are organized in categories and the authors are slapped into spots throughout that category without rhyme or reason.

The part of The Stray Dog Bookshop that really helps nail down their niche and possibly helps secure them a spot in the local book scene is their coffee bar. I enjoyed the special of the day when I was there - an almond cappuccino. It was delicious and at under $2 was a nice change of pace from the $5 or $6 prices you might pay at Starbucks or at another of the local coffee shops.

If you are looking for used or collectible children's books go to Lowry's Books and More. I don't think that The Stray Dog Bookshop is looking to enter that area as Lowry's has a huge selection of new and used children's books as well as a great selection of toys.

I know I'll be heading back to The Stray Dog Bookshop looking for a gem or two in their used books while drinking the special of the day from their coffee bar. Friendly and helpful service, nicely organized selection, and a pleasant atmosphere should help them to do well.

Visit The Stray Dog Bookshop on the web - www.straydogbooks.com

Michigan gas prices inch down a bit this week

The average price of gas in Michigan is down to $2.24 as we begin the new year. For yet another unexplained reason prices had spiked up around the $2.36 mark around Christmas and then held around $2.29 for a week or so. One year ago at this time we were paying an average of $2.315 here in Michigan. So after all of the ups and downs in prices over the past year we actually start 2007 about $.07 below the price we began 2006 with.

Gas price data courtesy of AAA's Fuel Gauge Report.

Remembering Gerald R. Ford 1913-2006

The stamp a man puts on the position of President of the United States is never really clear until years later when a man's legacy is looked upon with 20/20 hindsight. Gerald R. Ford had to step into a position vacated due to the Nixon resignation amongst the Watergate scandal. How do you address a nation still in disbelief over the bizarre affairs of Watergate? But Ford stepped into the presidency and did the best he could. It was never easy and the critics made their displeasure heard. Especially after the federal pardon Ford issued to Nixon just a month into his new role as president.

I'll let the following articles at various Michigan newspapers tell the whole story.

• Ford Never Coveted Presidency - Lansing State Journal
• NMU Professor Recalls Ford Visit - The Mining Journal
• Our President - Detroit Free Press
• Country indebted to Ford's integrity - The Detroit News
• Michigan reactions to Ford's death - Ludington Daily News
• Ford held nation together - Kalamazoo Gazette

My Christmas gift to you - Dickens' Christmas Carol ebook and more

I have uploaded three Christmas eBooks for your reading pleasure. The books are in PDF so anyone can download and read them. I got the text from the Project Gutenberg website that hosts the texts of out of print and/or public domain books. These texts are fairly short (A Christmas Carol is the longest at 81 pages) and are of such a small file size that even those of you with dialup accounts will be able to download them without trouble.

• A Christmas Carol
• The Gift of the Magi
• The Burglar and the Blizzard

Enjoy these wonderful old stories and feel free to share them with family and friends!

Merry Christmas!

Thank you to our customers

Whew! After a super busy last three weeks we have pretty much sold out of EVERYTHING on our shelves. We met and passed our sales goals for the Christmas season a week ago. I would like to apologize to anyone that was still hoping to be able to place an order. I thought I had ordered more than enough inventory to keep up with demand, but we ran out of just about everything after another big day this past Saturday.

The post office is picking up the last of the orders to be shipped out today. I told them to bring a truck or a van. They are going to need the room.

If our little store is any barometer of the Michigan economy I would have to say that overall, our economy isn't as bad as we might sometimes think. Who knows, maybe this is too small of a sample size, but as a small business owner it gives me a ray of hope.

So, many thanks to you, our customer, for making this our best year ever!

Reminder to place your order by December 20th for Christmas delivery

One week from today (December 20th) marks the "last call" for shipping gift baskets and being assured of their delivery by Christmas. If you are shipping to Alaska or Hawaii you will need to make sure your order is shipped on December 19th. Remember, you can place your order any time and simply choose the "Ship December 18th" option in the checkout process of our online store for a delivery that will be just before Christmas.

If you are shipping your gift baskets here in Michigan you have until December 21st to make sure the gift basket will arrive in time for Christmas.