Chesterton Store is Closing

I'll call it The Experiment That Wasn't.

After only four months, my Chesterton Typewriter store has been shuttered. It was sudden, but really it wasn't so sudden, because I had seen this coming almost since the first month I'd been open for business.

You'll recall that my employee, Jacob Gray, quit after 10 minutes on the job, and that I'd been robbed on the same day (opening day). I should have seen that as an omen, because absolutely nothing went right from then on out. You might say that the events of opening day were the high points of the entire venture.

I won't bother you with all of the gory details, but between trying to pay my own personal bills, and having lost my car to the guy who wrote me a bad check, I was unable to come up with the rent on the Chesterton lease. After 90 days of non-payment, I found myself locked out of my own store yesterday morning, as the marshals had put a big lock on the front door along with an eviction notice.

I made a kind of half-hearted attempt to pay the rent with tpewriters, but they said no deal. I wasn't all that serious about the trade offer, but it was worth at least exporling the idea. No dice.

But in a way, this could be a good thing. My credit is now completely ruined, but at least I can consolidate and concentrate my efforts once again into my Alta coma location, which you regular readers know has not been setting the world on fire from a sales standpoint. By "going back to my roots," I am now able to redouble my efforts to get the customers rolling into the store once again.

I still owe Digger and the Pig $500, or so KZMO keeps telling me, and they've threatened to bring me to court in order to collect. I also owe about $11,500 for the radio commercials that to date have not brought in one single customer to my store.

But I am nothing if not resourceful, so I have an idea that I think may work for both myself and for my heavy-handed debt collectors. I will not reveal that idea just yet, because it may not come to the point that I will need to use it, but it's there.

Stay tuned, as they say!

Some Good From the Bad

I like to make up certain sayings, little phrases that sum up a situation nicely and neatly. One such phrase is "Inside every dark cloud, there's a silver lining." What I mean by that is this: no matter how bad or bleak things may seem, there is always something good within.

My Chesterton store was robbed again yesterday. It's the second time this has happened in the last two months. I was behind the counter at the time, when a young fellow ran in and brandished a knife, demanding that I give him all the money in the cash register. Well, sales have not exactly been "through the roof" lately, and as a result, there was no money in the drawer!

I told him I didn't have anything to give him, and opened the register to show him I wasn't lying. Not knowing what to do next, he threatened me once more with the knife, then started for the exit. I guess he didn't want the attempt to be a total loss, so he tried to grab some merchandise on the way out. But typewriters are heavy, and he could barely lift the one he grabbed. Realizing he couldn't carry it all the way out to wherever his hideout was, he instead tried to hurl it at me. It landed harmlessly on the ground. It was damaged, but I can repair it and will be able to re-stock it soon.

So while my cash flow is REALLY hurting right now, my lack of silver in the cash register turned out to be my own silver lining!

New Models Are In!

The new 2009 IBM Selectrics are now in stock. They're available in both the Alta Coma and the Chesterton locations, and while I had to move a few things around to make room on the shelves for them, I've placed them in a prominent location in both stores.

Of course, I still have models from 2004 through 2008 for sale as well, lots of them. But these new machines are real beauties, and I think the upgrades they made to this year's models will make a huge difference in my business. I won't reveal all of the features here (you have to come in to the store for that... hint, hint!!), but I'll give away a couple of teasers: auto-correct and long-life ribbons.

The stores are both crowded with merchandise, and I know there's some typewriter in stock that meets everyone's needs. Come on in, folks, and see what we've got.

I don't mean to turn this into an advertisement, but I'm really excited about the 2009 models. Plus, I REALLY need to move this merchandise out of both stores. So if you're in need, I have the goods!