Simpatico.

I had a couple from St. Louis in Pegasus Books yesterday.   The woman, especially, really liked the store.   I mean, really, really liked the store.

She proceeded to catch all the things I was doing, all the differences from other stores, all the cool things I thought I was trying to do.

In other words, she really "got" it.

It's very validating when someone you've never met actually seems to understand what you've done and what you're trying to do.

In talking to her, I learned she'd worked in bookstores, was a huge reader, and basically was simpatico with me in many ways.

There are a lot of subtleties in what I'm trying to do -- things that I know I'm doing but I don't really expect other people to catch.

She went through the store and seemed to catch lots of them.

Kind of reminds me of one of my readers, Martha, who seems to catch all the really cool lines in my stories -- the cool little bits.  The same little bits that I think are cool.  Again, it's very reaffirming.  That it's not just all in my head.

I call her my simpatico reader.

So maybe both my store and my stories will only appeal to a small group, but that small group will "get" it?  Most won't be simpatico,  just as a matter of course.  But a few will be?

I can live with that.