Banana therapy.

If I could rename my store, and if I could set up a viable online presence, I would change Pegasus Books of Bend to Pegasus Books@Bend. Why aren't more brick and mortars stores doing that? Seems like a natural to include the @ sign. Advertising without confusion. Or perhaps it would cause confusion -- is it a store or a website?

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Bananas. I pay no attention to my diet. All of you food junkies who just took a sharp intake of breath, get over it, don't bug me.

I have learned over the years to eat something, anything at 4:00 everyday so I don't turn into a blithering idiot around 5:00, which is my low energy point every day. In other words, I treat food as fuel.

I noticed over time, though, that whenever I ate a banana, I'd have a better mood for a few days. Nothing dramatic, but enough for me to notice. Then I'd forget until the next time I ate a banana.

Thing is, I really don't care for the stupid fruit. I can eat about half of one before I gag.

Still, on our little trip I ate one because it was what Linda packed, and I really noticed it again. I just googled 'banana' and 'mood', and sure enough, there was a whole raft of articles on the mood connection.

So....you've heard the saying an Apple a Day, from now on for me it will be, a Half a Banana every Couple of Days....

I know. I know. It's all in my head. Have a banana, chimps.

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Manager Mike from 900 Wall just came in and gave me a nice gift card to the restaurant. Told me he reads my blog. I always have the reaction of, "Oh, Oh," but he seemed fine with it. Just confirms my resolution to only talk about other downtown businesses in the most vague of ways. (Not that I've said anything terrible...)

Consider me bought.

I think they'll have wild success this summer!

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May is my best month of the year, so far. Usually, March is the best month of the first five, but it was a big dud. So...June is looking promising. It looks to me that the tourists have been showing up. In fact, if you take out the outsized sports card performance last year, and if card games hadn't dropped in half this year (probably due to new competition), we'd have been close to last year.

If I --
Could've
Would've
Should've

Books were up significantly, as were board games.

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Learn something new every day. I have Shmoo figures in my store. I couldn't figure out how everyone knew what a Shmoo was. Most of my customers weren't old enough.

Turns out that Shmoos appeared in the Flintstones in the early '80's. Of course, I remember them from their original appearance in Lil Abner in the '60's, thus the confusion.

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In anticipation of the Bulletin article on boardgames, I stocked up. Bought 4 copies of each of the major games, which is about twice the usual maintenance level.

Bam, Bam, Bam. Sold three copies of Ticket to Ride.

I'm nowhere near ready to make another order, so if I sell the last T to R I'll be out of stock for a week or two.

This is a classic example of what I call "spot shortages," and I guess other than having a warehouse in town that I can pluck a single copy or two at a time, I don't suppose there is any way around them.

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After renting million dollar condo's for a summer or two, would they still be considered new?

I went camping with a friend once who rented a sedan for the trip. As he drove like a maniac down the country roads, I was horrified. He didn't care. It was a rental...

Just saying....

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Opening in bigger locations, splashier locations is not always a sign of recovery.

The Bulletin's lead sentence in "Will Art Still Sell?" is, "It stands to reason that art, being a luxury item, would be an early casualty in a recession and, likewise, late to recover. On Monday, two local businesses are turning that notion on its head."

Well, opening a business is not a sign of success, but a sign of a willingness to take a chance.

Different kettle of fish.

If you'll allow me, I'm going to repeat that: Opening a business is not a sign of success, but a sign of a willingness to take a chance.

It's more like doubling down, of moving "all in"; it could be a sign of confidence, or a desperation move, or a bluff. But the move still has to pan out to be considered a success. The move itself is not the success. Know what I mean?

The Tumalo Art Co. all but admit the gamble: "For a brief period in January, Higdon said, she and co-owner Tracy Leagjeld contemplated the gallery's demise.

"We felt it was move forward or perish."

I'm sympathetic to their dilemma. Foot traffic is hard to come by, in this town, since they tore down the inside malls. Downtown Bend and the Old Mill, that's pretty much it.

It's the same reason I've held onto my downtown location, despite the rents.

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Amazingly, despite relatively still high rents, despite the economy, many of the downtown locations are still being taken. It may only be the froth from the bubble, but whatever it takes....

There may be enough froth to carry us through the next couple of years, on to the other side.

Of course, renting is a sign of a willingness to take a chance....not success in itself.

See above.....

Still, for the casual visitor, it certainly gives the success vibe, and I'm all for that.