Maddie

𝕎𝕖𝕝𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝔹𝕣𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕙 & 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕤 There’s an excitement pulsing in the air as I make my round through the bookstore this morning. Soon there would be a buzz of chit chat throughout the store; guests and customers mingling and browsing. I couldn’t wait to celebrate by pride and joy with the world. Six months to the day the doors to A Novel Escape and The Plot Twist Loft opened for business. Standing in the middle of the store, I couldn’t believe how the time has flown. It feels like just yesterday I was standing in this same spot, anxiously pacing and trying to calm my nerves for the opening. I’d poured my blood, sweat and tears into the bookstore and I wanted others to love it just as much as I did. Thinking back on that day, a bright smile curves on my lips. The turn out was better than I ever could have hoped for, with love and support pouring in. While hosting an event still causes some anxiety, I can’t help but feel more excited than anything else. Within the last six months, there has been steady business each week. Every day I’m greeted by some returning customers, some new faces of fellow book lovers or those hoping to find just the right book as a gift. Each day I’m reminded why this bookstore has been my dream for as long as it has. There’s magic here. There’s power in the written word and books are one of the greatest gifts we have. Books have brought so many people together and I’m lucky to be a small part of that now. Strolling through the aisles, my fingers trace the new spines of books yet to have found their reader. The soothing familiarity of doing so from my days at the library make me swell with pride at how far I’ve come. That’s what today is about - the success of a dream coming true. That, as well as celebrating the community and those who have been my support system every step of the way. I can’t wait to show off the updates and additions I’ve made to the store since the opening. Tweaking things until everything found its perfect place. Today the bookstore feels more alive than usual, as if it could sense the celebration ahead. And as usual, I’d gone 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘥 overboard with…well, everything. —