Only 2 days left to organize everything.... !!!

Talked to the credit card processing people again they said it should be here Friday to get set up. Went and signed up for a WAMU free business checking account. BofA was being annoying, so forget 'em. Returned the extra polyurethane. Bain and Aric finally got the mascot attached to the cart. Cleaned up behind the counter. Shelved another 2 or 3 shelves of books. Really starting to fill them up now.

The shelves Bain put in the corner yesterday.
Bain working on the doorknobs.

Clean up and more books out.

Contacted the credit card merchant company, and faxed them the info. Never did get a reply, but should have a machine for Saturday according to what they said this morning. Cleaned up the closet, sorted all the tools we'd borrowed over the last 2 months in preparation to return them. Tossed a pile of empty boxes. The monument signs should go up on Friday. Stopped for lunch at a new Thai place having their grand opening, at the Knott exit off the 22 east, good stuff. Bain finished up the shelves in the corner, and touch-ups on the counter. Put up another 4 or 5 shelves of books, and a couple boxes of toys/figures. And forgot to take pics yet again.

Still pricing and shelving like mad..

I was hoping we'd get out signs up in the monument, but Mike the maintenance man wasn't around today, maybe tomorrow. Another SUVload of books, and then Roger from Once Read Books dropped off a load of SF & Fantasy. Checked a few sign/lettering places, and found one that said they could do the 3 window signs & car back window by Friday. Garage Graphics - a rather laid back place, but they looked like they could do it, we'll see what we get. Put up blinds in the front windows. Bain made shelves for the corner. Attempted to get the credit card system set up, but left it too late and people had already gone for the day. Had strawberry pie for tea. Managed to get another 5 shelves priced and mostly shelved. Overloaded the Classics already... Dumped another pile of empty boxes out back. Worked rather late, and forgot to take a picture.

Price, Shelve, Label, Nap

Tried out the Laundromat across the street. Greg, April, and Cameron came by to visit, and pick up a few more things he'd loaned. Phil came by to help sort, and brought some organization to the history sections. Bain & Aric went and got another SUVload of boxes, but didn't get any of them sorted. Aric started to label some of the sections. Bain finished up the other end of the counter. Then took a nap. We hung a piece of fiberglass board, which will get printed on eventually. Bain & Aric priced and shelved a bunch of books that were sorted out yesterday, about 5 shelves worth.
The shelves are filling up nicely.

Getting the books out.

Sorted today's SUVload & the donated books from yesterday onto shelves by category. Bain was adding finishing touches to the cart, building a small bookcase end, and doing touchups here and there. Greg Arnold came by and helped us put some stuff away.

Finally to the point of actually pricing and shelving books, as if they were new books coming in. Found some nice items I'd hidden away.
Play Spell by Dick Dever
A mechanical with sliding parts
to spell the words and show the animal. Very rare $245.00

Several rare Railroad books, and a complete set of all 8 Easton Press Anne of Green Gables $675.00


Went to Polly's for dinner and fresh strawberry pie.

Register

Another SUVload of books from storage. Shelley came by to start alphabetizing the General Fiction section. Aric made 2 trips to Home Depot (because he forgot half the stuff the first time) and picked up parts for a rolling bookcase/rack that Bain built. Someone came by and donated 6 boxes of books, and took a bunch of our empty boxes. Dan Mellitz and Kathy Mattes came by and Shelley & Aric went with them to go shopping for a cash register. After visiting Staples, Office Max and Costco, we decided on the intermediate model from Staples.
Dan helped Aric set up the cash register,
while Kathy helped Shelley alphabetize.

Shelving and organizing some more.

Bain & Aric went and picked up 2 SUVloads of stuff from storage, including some smaller spinners. Bain hung the new doors on the bathrooms. We shelved books for a while, then my Mom, Judy & her husband Bruce Finney stopped by and took us out to dinner. They brought their traveling companion with Rosy, short for Rosencrantz - one of a pair, the other being named Guildenstern of course.




All American Sign finished the monument sign panels, so we stuck them in the window for now, just until they get put up.

Shelving and sorting.

Aric & Bain went to the storage unit and brought a SUVload of boxes over. Shelved a bunch of Manga, Art, and some various Histories. Moved around and expanded the Religion, Self-Help/Medicine, History, & Travel sections. David Vendl came by and help sort the SF, Shelley Arnold came by and helped sort the Mystery.

Empty garage = full storage unit

Bain and Aric went and got a 2nd small load out of the garage - only 3 boxes deep, and emptied out Shelley's garage of all of A Castle of Books' boxes. Then over to PS and just about filled a 10'x30'x12' unit.

The Building & Safety inspector called and came out again so I was able to get to the store and meet him, he took a good hmm maybe 10 minutes looking around, down each aisle and in the bathrooms and closet, gave a bookcase a tentative push, and signed off. I rushed over to Stanton city hall and paid the business license fee. Within 2 weeks should be all official.

Moving out.

Bain & Aric went and got a U-Haul 26' clutch diesel truck, then back to Shelley's garage
where Paul Rosse helped load it. In fact Bain & Paul did the majority of the loading.
Bain & Paul in a brief moment of not- workingThe almost empty garage
Off to PS to unload, and yikes load-shift! we could barely get the door open, and hold the boxes up to begin unloading.Paul left at 3, Bain & Aric kept at it until 6. Aaargh the boxes. I'm so sore.

Unfortunately missed the Building and Safety inspector, there must have been a mix-up as they didn't call.

Price and shelve & sort

Aric & Bain got right to work putting books on the shelves this morning, with assistance from Shelley, and later Phil showed up to help. Roger came by to get some empty boxes.
The shelves are filling up nicely.

Hmm, they might fit...

...but I'm beginning to doubt it. Paul Rosse, Bain and Aric brought a large load over in Paul's Van, and Greg Arnold came by and we did another load in the Van and mini-van. Things are filling up fast, unfortunately there's still a lot to do to get the books ready to sell. We managed to get the store all set up for the inspection from Building and Safety, which should hopefully happen tomorrow morning.

Greg & Bain shelving books
Books still to be processed, but shelved
Shelves filling up

Shelving books already

Chris Hubbell, Bain, Shelley Arnold, and later Greg Arnold, and Mark Jamison, loaned their time and vehicles to transport the priced books from Shelley's garage to the store and shelve them. While they still need some alphabetical organization, they are all up on the shelves. There must have been quite a few as shown by the empty boxes, but as seen on the shelves there's still lots of room...

Greg and Bain unloading the mini-van
Hubbell with box

Aric with box
Shelley & Greg
MarkMark & Hubbell
Shelved books
Empty Boxes
Hubbell's head behind piles of empy boxesBain looking at empy shelves

Put up an event notice on Craigslist and the OC Register.

Not quite finished, but done.

Didn't quite get the last of the supports on the bookcases. We did get the backs on the shelves under the counter, and ready for books tomorrow.

Halfway done with supports, plus the phone.

Got half of the 2x4 supports attached with more than a modicum of exclamatory language. They were being a tad difficult. But once up are working well, everything is supremely sturdy.

Greg Pascal came by and set up the phone lines & DSL. He also got a cool new toy gun. The computer Andy gave works quite well, and will be usefull.

Almost finished setting up!

Finished spraying and polyurethane except for a few spots to touch up. Started attaching the bookcases to the walls and each other. We should be ready for books by Saturday!

In the front door.
Looking at the counter,

in front of the counter down the stacks
over to the first aisle

down the 1st aislethe front counter from the back of the store
up the 1st aisle from the back of the store.