The Bookstore-Slash-Skate-Shop Next to Ballerina Farm
The first book I sell on our first day in business is a used copy of Fart Proudly: Writings of Benjamin Franklin You Never Read in School, for seven dollars.
Our shop occupies a former service station in an alpine town within Utah's Wasatch Mountains. Owner Galen and I, along with our barista, Avery, run the establishment, which features a converted waiting room transformed into a bar. In one garage bay, Galen sells skateboards and oversized shorts, while I handle books, art supplies, and Korean-formulated sunscreens in the adjacent bay.
Sarah, a New Yorker who has been assisting us since our grand opening, handles pricing our drink menu and sets up the cash register. We share a long friendship, with her having worked for me for the past fifteen years.
Our opening day saw us selling a used copy of Fart Proudly for seven dollars to a high school English teacher, a copy of The Land of Little Rain for seven dollars to a studious young college student, and Stephanie LaCava's I Fear My Pain Interests You for a young girl who paid with her own money, despite her parents being present.
This child, around thirteen years old, seemed a bit worried about the content, but I believe she has grown up reading freely, and we have not caused any harm. One of our bestselling items, more than iced lattes, are rolls of washi tape printed with bears playing drums.
On the following day, we sold fly-fishing guides from 1973, indicating a strong interest in the hobby. Galen is particularly fond of the song “Reno” by Doug Supernaw, even though we have not visited Reno. During our visit to West Wendover, a casino town in Nevada, we encountered a man offering us "herb" inside a tube at a local hotspot.
We accepted, as there were no other souvenirs to purchase. Galen also plays "Reno" and "Brigham Young," a song by Rosalie Sorrels, a folk singer who passed away in 2017. The song's lyrics tell the story of Brigham Young and his numerous wives, a subject that remains a mystery to this day.
Written by urgent.news from The Paris Review's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
