The Raven Book Store — Local services in Lawrence

So this pains me to write this. I had such high hopes for this sweet bookstore. I’ve shopped Raven for years at old location and always make a point to drop in and purchase something as I travel. I do this at every indie bookstore I visit. (I once bought Crazy Abolitionists here, just as I bought Desert Solitaire from Back of Beyond Books in Moab etc.

So I was jazzed to visit new locale! I donned my pesky mask and went in. No greeting, no place to sit, no coffee. Huh, probably still settling into the beautiful new space. Oh well.

I browse and make a point of buying owner Danny’s treatise on Amazon. As a former Amazon employee (and not a fan of their business model), I thought: perfect.

Go to pay, ready my iphone to pay electronically (no touch), salesperson says nope. I’m like why not, she scoffs as if this was 1994 and why would a store ever accept phone payment?!?

Ok then debit card!

Chip reader malfunctioning so please swipe, she says as my stupid glasses fog because of my mask. Get me, I’m pro mask indoors and fully vaxxed, but the whole experience was disappointing.

I ask how’s business are you short staffed? No! She grumbled. Are you hiring? No!

Wow. Dropped so many balls at new location. I hear they are now employee owned, so I still want to support them.

But not until they get a more welcoming vibe. Take that awful MASKS REQUIRED sign out of the window! We get it Lawrence, Covid Covid blah blah blah.

And try friendlier clerks, more chairs, clearly marked book sections (you’re not just mysteries anymore!) and invite more people into what appears to be and feels like a secret invite only book club for locals.

(I’ve also attempted to share these thoughts privately with owner but… not interested.)

Good luck Raven. You’re missing out on a ton...

Get Your Mystery On

Yesterday, during my discovery day in Lawrence, I found the nicest little book store full of mystery, fiction, history, children's books and more. The Raven, with its two resident cats, is a cozy spot to hangout in. The space consists of two large rooms that are well organized so that you don’t feel crowded. The moment I stepped through the doors, the staff welcomed me with big smiles and asked if they could help me with anything. It would have been so easy to snuggle up in a chair with a cozy read and call it a day. The Raven offers other items like T shirts, journals, totes, items for children and fun things like the ever-popular enamel pins that have been popping up around town. I added to my purchase, the very bright yellow logo mug that caught my eye when I walked in. The other thing that was a step away from the usual were the Poems machine for fifty cents. Instead of candy, you pop open the white and purple plastic case to find a few thoughtful words typed on a slip of paper. All proceeds are donated to a different charity every month. For March, The Sexual Trauma & Abuse Care Center is featured. Overall: In this busy college town, make The Raven one of your stops for all things mystery and more. This is an edited version of the first review. Overall I still feel the same about the book store overall but found disappointment with the manager when I tried to share some information with him regarding the feedback I received because of my review of his store. He made me feel as though I was bothering him with such trivial news. I'm glad the rest of his staff were more welcoming and excited than he was otherwise the above review would be...

Unfortunately, the culture of the bookstore has changed where most employees take their customers for granted...assuming they will buy books here and avoid Amazon. The Raven employees don't seem to value their customers...countless times I've been there (even when they aren't busy) and no words of greeting or to see if they could be of assistance. This is true even when I purchased books. You would think people who work in bookstores would actively seek out people to engage in a conversation about books or to "sell the Raven and its books". Salesmanship is essential for small businesses. Most workers just sit behind the counter bantering with each other or looking at the computer/register...definitely not a place anymore that has an environment where their employees are grateful to be there and to have a workplace where they can help people (especially children) find a book that might be meaningful or...