Thanks to these two for helping Jackie draw the winners of two gift certificates!  Congratulations to Mary H. and Laura T.!

Last Friday, we watched fire truck after fire truck roar by the front window.  We knew the winds were howling and obviously a fire was threatening to our north.  It wasn’t until much later that night and then the next day we realized what horrific damage that fire, the Round Fire, did to the homes of our friends and customers in Round Valley, Swall Meadows and Paradise.  Of course we join everyone in relief that there were no more serious injuries, and appreciate the efforts of the many, many firefighters and helping neighbors who did what they could to prevent worse damages.  Not  much else can be added. 

For those who did lose their homes, you have our heartfelt sympathy.  I know many of you are book lovers and readers.  When you have shelves to refill, we would like to help replace your treasured volumes, so there are gift certificates available here at the store for each household.   Any one at the front counter can sign one out for your family with some form of identification.   If you have any questions, please contact Diane at the store.

You are cordially invited to a special event February 14 to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Range & River Books and the special sweeties in your life.  Enjoy endless cups of tea and treats all afternoon while in the store for only $5.  It is a great way to sample the variety of teas we feature while browsing or visiting with friends.  We’ll have plenty of herbal and caffeine free choices that can be enjoyed by all ages too.  I’ll read Valentines stories from 2-3 as well.

From 3 – 7, we’ll serve special Sundaes for Two made from delicious Cascade Glacier Ice Cream.  We’ll keep the doors open an extra hour so you can fit in a sundae after dinner or before the movie.

We love our customers every day, but of course Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to show it!  Celebrate with us!

I realized early in my art career that female’s names may change, so I decided to always use my middle name Marit as my art signature.  Good thing!

After teaching mostly junior high school art and being a “jack-of- all- trades” for 26 years, I finally settled down a few years ago to explore watercolor. Now a devotee to the medium there is always a painting sitting before me. With an abundance of breathtaking landscapes constantly changing in a never ending parade of shapes, shades and shadows, I am on inspiration overload. As a member of the Eastern Sierra Plein Air Painters my senses have been introduced to the pleasures of painting on location. I also enjoy painting in my studio where light flooding in my window on some object will motivate me to take brush in hand. I am especially excited with the possibilities of carefully combining color and composition and strive to make each painting an expression of what I see.

I received a BS in Visual Design from Auburn University, a Masters in Art from University of South Carolina and have taken and taught many art classes over the years. My work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and shows. I currently have work at Inyo Council of the Arts, Bishop Art Supply Gallery, Radio Shack, and　Mono Council of the Arts. I also enjoy showing in the Altrusa Show each year

After retiring from teaching in Germany with the Department of Defense Schools, I now reside with my husband Steve in Paradise in the eastern Sierra Nevada overlooking the lovely Owens Valley and the Eastern Sierra Nevadas. I can be reached at

lmarit12@hotmail.com or Lynn Marit Peterson, 17 Sierra Vista Circle, Bishop, CA 93514 760-387-2646

We are tucked into our new Main Street location, and ready for the event we moved here for – the Chocolate Walk!  (Okay it is not the only reason we moved, but it IS a good one right?) 

Our store will feature the art of talented watercolorist Lynn Marit Petersen and our favorite artist-in-residence Robert Miller will have several new, and stunning, pencil drawing prints.  From jewelry artist Julie Prange we have a lovely collection of bead and mixed media earrings and necklaces, and Beverly Schroeder has for sale some bead and metal earrings that make me drool.

Musical entertainment will feature the live, eclectic, and unplugged, sounds of father/son duo Mike and Matt Muldoon!  We have been trying to get these talented folks to perform for some time, and the schedule finally worked out – couldn’t be happier!  Mike will be on percussion and Matt will be playing guitar and vocals.  Music will start at 6:00.

And oh yes, the chocolate!  We will be serving Death by Chocolate Ice Cream samples and Night of the Iguana Chocolate Chai Tea.  This tea is named for the complex play by Tennessee Williams set in Mexico, and according to the supplier, lives up to that name in every way.  At least six mysteries share the title Death by Chcoloate, so pick your favorite for that one.  You have to appreciate the literary connections right?  Plus our staffmember Kayla is making us some Nutella and raspberry brownies that sound heavenly, and a selection of other brownies will round out the treat table. 

Please plan on stopping by sometime during the evening to say hello to our artists, start your holiday shopping, enjoy the music and the treats, and visit with friends on the front porch.  With this warm for fall weather, it really should be a nice evening.   Like some of you I’m sure, I’ll be dividing my night between the Homecoming game and the walk, but I sure hope to see you!

What a great turn out for our Grand Opening Celebration!  The store was truly hopping, and everyone seemed excited and pleased to be there.  My family and I truly appreciate all the support and good wishes, it is so nice to celebrate a little after all the weeks of scrubbing, painting and hauling!  We really can’t say enough how glad we are to have the loyal customers we do, and it is so, so good to see new faces as well.  It was certainly the best possible blessing on the new venture to see you all!

There are too many people to thank, but here are a few that can’t go unrecognized: Store staff – Courtney (who managed her first Saturday morning alone while I cooked!) Kayla, Lindsey, Chris, Celica, Rachel, Carla and Jennifer (and mini-helper Sarah),  and their families too, Bob Miller, who brought new artwork to display and frequent treats, Rearview Mirror band (Brad, Brian and  Bart), Brian Grevenkamp for stepping in as a roadie, Corrie Delgiudice for bringing over ground Looney Bean coffee, especially the DELICIOUS Range & River blend, Kaylie Barrett for sharing her wonderful piano music through the evening, Greg Smith and Charlie Broten for agreeing to play and showing up with NO advance notice,  my friend Cindy and niece Elisabeth for sending gorgeous flowers, Deb Murphy for writing a great article about the new store in the Inyo Register, Lauren at KIBS for making sure we got radio advertising, and again, all of you wonderful friends and loyal customers for your support and kindness.

If you missed the big day, we would still be very glad to see you, come drop by!

After 9 years and 14 days  owning the store, years of shopping here prior to that, and at least 6 months of “threatening” to move with no real activity, the end is really truly here.  East Side Books will close its doors as of Thursday, August 14.   Even though we are moving on to better things hopefully, I HATE transitions and saying good bye, so this part is not fun…except of course for this green carpet that I promise I will never wax nostalgic over.   I am not going to say much more except thank you to the wonderful customers and staff that have kept the store alive and kicking through the years.  I also owe much to all those previous owners who have left their stamp on the shelves.  I treasure so many people who come through the doors, I am just counting on that part continuing at the new store. 

I still cannot answer the “when will you be open” question, but I can safely say within the next “few” weeks.   Please do come visit us at the new store, and our new website will be up next week as well. 

Since you are reading this, I presume you are a friend of the store and I’ve already asked you to be patient over the last four months as we try to open the NEW and improved store.  Well we thought the end was in sight, and it is, but the view just got a little muddier over the weekend.  Friday night our home got hit with a very localized flash flood.  We had an estimated 3-4 inches of rain plus hail in an hour while 3 miles down the road had .10 inch. My daughter was home and stoppered up the doors to our main house and shoveled madly on her own until more help came with bigger shovels.  Unfortunately most of that water and mud still tried to run through my garage room which was a big physical to-do list for the new store – the display tables getting refinished, some vintage crates, boxes of books of course, my freezers, and other handy things were surrounded by swirling mud.  Not that much was destroyed fortunately, but it sure is a dirty mess that needs to be cleaned up, in addition to whatever needed doing in the first place.  So my friends, I’m asking for your patience again.

For some good news, my daughter and I drug our soggy selves to the San Francisco gift show since we had the tickets and reservations.  I am very excited about the things we have decided to carry in the store to complement our wonderful books, and I think you will be too!  To my surprise, we actually dealt with a number of artists and business owners directly, so it was a much more personal experience than anticipated.  Plus I had my daughter’s good taste to help with picking things, which is certainly an improvement over what you would see if I was alone.  I won’t reveal any new things yet, but stay tuned!

And for more good news, the new store is coming along REALLY  well!  Paul Sarten with Kiwi Construction is doing a fabulous job in renovation, and I know you are going to love it like I do!

Come visit the old store for the great moving sale prices, and I’ll keep scheduling changes posted as best I can.

THANK YOU ALL!

Some customers bring a smile to your face every time they come in, and Bill makes me smile nearly every day.  I’ve appreciated the love he showers on his grandchildren, his generosity with acquaintances, and general friendliness, but today he truly showed what a random act of kindness can do to spread good will.   He noticed a neighbors’ grand daughter in the store and bought her a stack of Wizard of Oz books, which he recommended from frequent readings of course, and The Princess Diary as well.  What a happy girl!  What an example of kindness!  Thanks for being my customer and friend Bill!

It is true!  East Side Books is starting a new chapter in bookselling for the Eastern Sierra.  We are changing our name and location, and some sales strategies, we’ll sell a few more new books and more “other” things for example.   We are keeping our amazing inventory of used titles, your store credit and gift certificate values, our friendly staff, and, of course, our smart and interesting customers who  keep  bookselling in a real store  viable.

Like many of you, I can’t help but regret the passing of East Side Books, with the nooks and corners, the big windows, and the lovely trees across the road.  I’m sad to be the owner that has to close that door.  But, I think we’ll gain so much in location, foot traffic, participation in downtown Bishop events, parking, and a cool space, that it surpasses the loss.  I’m not the only book seller experiencing dropping sales, but I think with adjustments we can be one of the bookstores that continue to thrive as a valued asset in our community.

I am so grateful for the many offers of moving help (and brownies), and hope to make use of that kind community minded spirit as we get closer to the actual move.  When will that be?  I still can’t say for sure as we are waiting for the owners of Raymond’s to finish renovating their new space and move out, also a daunting job!  In the meantime, I welcome your comments and suggestions, and would love to speak with local  crafters, cottage food producers, and artists if you have potential items to sell.  I’ll keep news of the move posted here and on the Facebook page.  Feel free to call as well if you have questions.

It will be an adventure, please be there with us!.

Regards,

Diane