It's hard to keep up a constant state of alarm over the housing bubble. When I weigh all the news reports, I think its going to get dire --- maybe more than even the doomster's expect. I mean, this could really be devastating.

But...what can I do about it? I think I've designed my business so that I'll be able to respond to a downturn.

Thing is, we're have record sales in the spring. Good, solid, predictable business.

No...this is more a matter that I may be missing an opportunity to make money while I can. All I have to do is stop buying anything but the essentials. I've done it in the past because I had to, and I've done it for years.

But I've had steady growth for 3 years now. I have backup funds, and plenty of credit. The bills are pretty much under control.

So, despite what my mind and experience tell me, I'll let my optimism guide. (Frankly, even if I had never heard of the housing bubble and read nothing else about it, the fact that my house doubled in value in two years would be enough to make me sit up and take notice. NOTHING doubles in that short of a time, especially a high value item, without there being a consequence.)

So I'll just keep monitoring the local economy; and hope that this isn't that point in time that I'll look back on and realized I missed an opportunity.

I have the benefit of experience in a number of fads and in hindsight I can see where I went wrong and where I went right, and try to navigate my business through this situation. But ultimately, my every fad is both the same and different, and I won't really know which is which until it's past.

So, I'm orienting my business toward successful growth, with a eye on possible downturns.

A rose is a rose is a rose.

What's in a name? My store already had the Pegasus Books name when I bought it, (with the nice advantage of a good logo.) Over the years, I've wished sometimes I could change it to be more descriptive. Then again, I've morphed the store so much and so often, that having a more generalized name has been useful. After 27 years, its a "Brand" name, for what it's worth.

Linda wanted to call her store Sagewind Books, because she's into indian flutes. It's a poetic name, but what does' it mean? We ended up with the BookMark, because it has 'books' in the title, which is no small advantage when it comes to signs and business cards and such. It's a bit more generic than I like, and I think the store has been enough of a success that we could've gone with the Sagewind.

When the Paperback Exchange was still in business, I was mystified as to why they didn't change the name to Book Exchange. They carried hardcover books, but NO ONE KNEW IT! An easy change, that would have helped draw in more customers.

Meanwhile, over on the comic retailer bulletin board, a store has posted pictures. Nice, clean modernistic design, that any customer would feel comfortable in. The kind of non-comic book guy store our industry needs. What does he call it? Spazdog Comics -- which pretty much negates the image thing.

What brought this up, is the Bulletin article about the closing of A&B Meats. Turns out, this store had all kinds of exotic foods, as well as Asian American owners. Maybe its just because I sell anime and manga, but I would definately have played up the Asian Market connection; there is a cachet, especially among younger consumers, and a niche. They could've done everything they were doing, AND perhaps drawn in a whole nother crowd.


Meanwhile, it looks like Free Comic Book Day was a relative success. Did better than an average Saturday, and had more people actually picking them up.


Statis Report. Have now stuck to budget for 11 weeks. STILL no blue sky. The 'slack in the rope' explanation is running thin (costs and material that had been ordered before I instituted the budget.) All I can think is that the little ticky tack reorders and the little expenses (small stationary, snacks, etc.) and my postage estimates are off. I'll stick to this budget through June, but if I don't start getting some savings by then, I'll have to cut my reorder budget.

The reorder budget has worked great -- its been enough to get everything I think the store needs. Maybe that's the problem. Maybe it's just not possible to make gain without pain.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

yeah.

I'm missing the promotion gene. Went to put out the comics this morning, and unloaded the last two or three years worth, have tons of them that never got took. Just put them all out. Raised my limit from 3 to 8.

Then I realized that I didn't keep any of the posters to put up. Really a half-hearted effort. I don't advertise, I don't have sales, I don't get in the gorilla suit. Just plug away with the best selection and best presentation I can come up with, in the best location, and let the business speak for itself.

I love the idea of FCBD. The companies really produce some great comics just for this event. The comics aren't free to me, but they are relatively inexpensive for a promotion. I'm just not sure it produces any results.

Maybe next year I'll make the grand effort.

Driving home, there's a big orange thing (I only caught the back - - a cat, a bear?) jumping up on down on the sidewalk with a sign and balloons. The new retail center across and west of the Forum.

That's the promotion gene I'm missing

The proof of the old adage; there's no bad publicity as long as they spell your name right. Baltazar gets an A- Review in the Bulletin.

If nothing else, the IRON MAN suit in the movie looks really, really cool.

Free Comic Book Day, tomorrow. Don't know why I don't try to make more of the day. It just doesn't seem to do much for business. I do like using the books to give away to newbies and browsers, but again, not sure it does much good.

Was having a conversation with someone in the know, and he mentioned another downtown shop that was doing very well, but....he complained....doesn't advertise! I laughed and said, "So that's two shops you know downtown who are both doing well and don't advertise....what does that tell you?"

Have to gird my loins for all the people who will be coming in looking for Spider-man "STUFF". Not comics, mind you. They'll just curl up their lip at that suggestion. STUFF. I'm a COMIC SHOP! Over the years I've tried lots of STUFF and it doesn't sell for us. I got a case of the Spider-man toys a month ago and I've sold one.
Guess which one? Three guesses....come on, you can do it. Yep, the Venom toy.
Meanwhile, I've sold my entire LOST toys case, except for 3 Jack toys. Unfortunately, those 3 Jack toys represent my entire profit.

Oh, the store I could have if I could buy all the Yoda, Boba Fett, Venom, and Legolas toys we wanted; instead of Gollum, Jar Jar Binks, and Spider-man battle damaged.

We have a fat cat. You can visit her at the BookMark, if she happens to be taking one of her period breaks to beg for treats. Otherwise, she's curled up in the back room.

Had some guys rush in last night just before closing for a game magazine, excited about the new Magic game release. Obviously, they were set to play the game that night. Found out they were getting their cards from a friend (who I'd done some trading with a couple of days ago against my better judgement) who obviously had bought his cards online and just as obviously was breaking the 'street date.' Sometimes I wonder what purpose we brick and mortor stores serve if the damn wholesalers will sell to just anyone.

Have sold a surprising number of board games. One or two a week, not enough to keep us in business, but they actually sell. Fancy European games like Carcassone, and Settlers of Cataan, and Ticket to Ride. Strictly word of mouth, as far as I can tell.

Not one of my competitors send customers my way; I send customers to all my competitors. Not fair. Won't change that practice, but it's frustrating.

World War Hulk: Hulk was sent to a different planet because Earth's heroes were worried he was out of control. He's weakened, and enslaved and made into a gladiator, but eventually becomes Emperor. Then the shuttle he was sent in explodes, killing his wife and kids. Now Hulk is coming back to earth, with his legions, and he's pissed. HULK SMASH PUNY EARTH!

The downtown tax district was approved last night.

I was mildly opposed to the first version of this, about a year ago. Mostly I didn't like the surveillance cameras, which they have very sensibly dropped.

It helps a great deal that Chuck Arnold, the executive director for the Bend Downtowners Association is a personable fellow, who has shown a low-key ability to build consensus and deal with problems.

It doesn't hurt that he comes by my store occasionally to chat. Simple thing, really, but it means a lot. One of the things I could never understand about the Mt. View Mall managers, was why they would hide in their office. Some of them I never met more than once. I always thought it would have been a huge public relations coup to simply take a walk-around through the mall, once a month, listen to the owners. Once a month, listen to us bitch, and move on.

Chuck's actions have pretty much confirmed that notion. I may not have any power in the Downtowners (I've only gone to one meeting in 24 years); but it probably doesn't hurt to keep me on his side anyway.

These positions tend to become self-sustaining after a while, whether the director is efficient and helpful or not. It could easily turn into a very political position where the money goes to help the most influential members of the downtown community. But I've decided it can't hurt, at roughly .01 a foot per month.

I also think it helps that Chuck actually ran a record store in L.A. for 5 years, so has a passing acquaintance with retail.

So, here's hoping that he brings an energetic and effective organization into reality.

There's a message over on the Bend Economy Bulletin Board, called; One Agent's Report. To recount it in full here would require that I reread it again, which might cause permanent brain damage, so I'll try to remember how it went:

Something along the lines of: Sales are down, prices are down, inventory has exploded.

It's a great time to buy!

Buy now before it too late!

This is your last chance, before prices begin to rise again and you are forever priced out of the market!

And, oh by the way, I have this huge foreclosure list I can show you!

You have to admire the agent's guts; he or she is basically bulletproof. Prices going up? Time to buy! Prices going down? Time to buy! Which makes sense in that agents make money when houses sell, and when you are taking a percentage, the actual price isn't as important.

Too much inventory means that there will be too little inventory!

You have to admire someone who so blatantly attempts to make what are so clearly negatives into positives. But the fulcrum at which his whole spiel falls apart is when he simply asserts that all this inventory is going to disappear, and the prices will start to go up.

I suspect the inventory is going to continue to explode, driving prices down. Even if his premise is correct, the time to buy would be this winter when the sellers are desperate.

Anyway, a fascinating glimpse into the mind of an agent, or a joke, or both.

I see by an ad in the Bulletin that another long-term downtown business is quitting.

pfundamentals. Anyone know the story behind that?

I anticipate a much needed store, like a high-end dress shop, or a high-end home decor, or a high-end jewelry, or....what we really need, a new coffee shop or restaurant.

At this rate, I'll be last man standing. Somebody the other day called me an "institution". I probably should be in one. Trivia Antiques is still there, and Kitchen Complements, and the Book Barn (if under the umpteenth owner), and Robert's Clothes (which has passed down to the next generation.) Let's see...there is Leapin' Lizards. Am I missing anyone with same ownership and location of more than twenty years? Much less twenty-five or more.... Not counting restaurants; I don't know a thing about how restaurants operate.

I'm now getting the children of the original children customers -- the first third generation customer I get, I'm out of here.