The Reading Chair Turns One!

Wow, what an incredible year this has been! It’s hard for me to believe that The Reading Chair Bookstore has been in existence for a whole year now. In celebration of the occasion, I would like to share a little of how the Reading Chair came to be and, in future blogs, I will share some of the adventures I’ve had during my first year as a bookseller.

Life’s funny in the twists and turns it takes you on. I arrived in San Diego County almost a decade ago with aspirations of becoming a school teacher. But life did what it does and I have spent the vast part of this last decade working in the field of civil engineering. I do find some fulfillment in my accidental engineering career but, nine years after it started, it has begun to wear on me. Feeling trapped, lost and frustrated with the downturn in the housing market and economy as a whole, I finally remembered what it was my mother has always said about me my entire life; I’m nothing if not resourceful! So I grabbed those damn boot straps and I began to look around.

What I saw reflected the bravery and determination of others to find their own source of income through self employment and following their dreams. So I began to ask, why not me? What is it I could do that would allow me to achieve my dreams of positively influencing the growth and education of my community while also allowing me to pursue the literary world I love so much? Every time I asked myself that question, I kept answering: the Boulder Bookstore.

A couple of years ago my husband and I had traveled to Boulder, Colorado. Aside from falling in love with the area, I was awed by the Boulder Bookstore. After only one visit and enjoyable meandering through this wonderful bookstore, I turned to my husband and told him he we had to move to Boulder and he would have to make enough to support us because I was going to work there, in that wonderful bookstore, and odds were the majority of my salary would remain there. This is the thought that stayed with me when the housing market in San Diego turned and it became clear we would be remaining in Ramona for a number of years to come.

That’s where I was. A crossroad we all come to at some point in our lives and I had to make my decision; accept a career in Engineering, or take the leap and follow my heart. I couldn’t stay where I was any longer and I could only measure those cracks in the road (literally) for so long before I succumbed to the career disappointment that consumed me. So I leapt.

I’m still working in engineering full time but I spend all the minutes I can spare on building The Reading Chair and what an amazing time it has been! I quickly discovered that it is hard to refer to the bookselling community as an industry. Every single bookseller I have met has been welcoming, encouraging and supportive. I was embraced as soon as I entered the business and I have finally found the career path I have been searching for. I have found a place I am excited about participating in the ongoing conversations and adding my voice to the topics swirling about. Bookselling leaves me with the desire to foster my own creativity and to contribute my part to further the advancement of the industry.