I will admit to a grudging like that has grown into a genuine fondness for the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan film, You’ve Got Mail. I am a sucker, it seems, for Tom Hanks (some day I will explain that for the benefit of Mad) and for people who fall in love through the beauty of an exchange of words.

The film is actually a remake of an old Jimmy Stewart romantic comedy, The Shop Around the Corner from 1940 where two employees of a gift shop actively despise one another while unknowingly corresponding as anonymous pen pals. The Meg Ryan character in You’ve Got Mail owns a children’s bookshop called The Shop Around the Corner and she and the Hanks character meet and fall in love exchanging email under pseudonyms.

You might wonder why I bring this up.

I thought it might make a good name for the used book shop I am thinking about buying.

Yes, I am seriously considering going into business for myself. There is a used bookshop in The Fort that is for sale. I first saw the ad in the Fort Record the week we left for the States and ran the idea by Rob on the drive down. I was only half-serious at the time of the initial conversation and I think that his thoughtful consideration and response pushed me the rest of the way.

The ad was still listed in the latest edition of the paper upon our return yesterday and this morning I stopped by the store and chatted with the owner. I even took MidKid back with me later in the day after talking again with Rob and needing a few clarifications via his suggestions.

MidKid, who dreams of owning her own bookstore, was impressed. It is a good space. The landlord is willing to stick with the original rent terms (really reasonable) and is Rob’s chiropractor to boot. There is a large inventory and lots of shelving plus a huge back storage room and a separate office.

The owner is looking to sell it all. Stock, furnishings, equipment. She will even stay on a couple of weeks to ease the transition with the client base.

It’s tempting.

The store owner has established 5 days a week business hours, is closed on long weekends and holidays and even takes off for vacation. She works four of those days with a part timer on the other day and her mom helps out for free.

There are questions still to be answered and I think the price is a bit high, but it is tempting.

Thinking about returning to work in the fall I am confronted with the very real problem of not wanting to work for someone anymore. Not even part time. I am tired of not being the boss. And that, more than anything else, drove me away from loving teaching. I was tired of being told what to do and how to do it and when and where and all the while knowing that I could do as good or better a job of being the boss than the people for whom I was working.

Best thing about books, aside from loving them, is that I could still work on my writing and I could possibly start a writing group out of the store.

Then there is the practical. BabyDaughter could be there if needed and it is literally a five minute walk from the store to her school.

Rob and I have discussed moving away from here when he is eligible to retire in a few years and I pointed out to him that owning a business ties us, but he reminded me that three years is a long time and would I care to look back on the opportunity then and feel as though I had missed out?

There is potential for growth. It has no online presence now and could easily go in that direction. It generates a small profit but is not well known in the community beyond a loyal following that grows haphazardly.

I am not sure why I am so drawn to this but intend to explore it.