{"id":22022,"date":"2017-06-27T07:32:21","date_gmt":"2017-06-27T11:32:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=22022"},"modified":"2017-06-27T07:32:21","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T11:32:21","slug":"wednesday-floody-wednesday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.publishersweekly.com\/blogs\/shelftalker\/?p=22022","title":{"rendered":"Wednesday, Floody Wednesday"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Elizabeth?” said my co-worker, Sandy’s, voice on the other end of the phone. “We have a bit of a situation.”
\nEvery business owner dreads hearing those words, especially on\u00a0her one day off a week.
\nWhile most people hail\u00a0Saturdays as the start of their weekend, Wednesdays are mine. Occasionally I’ll agree to a sales meeting if I absolutely have to, but I usually try to hold that day\u00a0sacred. Two weeks ago, I was feeling great on my “weekend” day: I’d just worked out and was having brunch with a friend at a new place about a half hour outside of\u00a0town. That’s when the phone call came.
\n
\nIt turned out that Sandy had gone to our basement storage space for more bags, and discovered a small flood. She couldn’t find the source of the stream, but it was waterlogging the boxes that weren’t on pallets.
\n“Start bailing,” I said. “I’ll be right there.”
\nWe had a new summer bookseller, Jake, at work on his first day, and how did he spend it? Hauling soggy boxes of books, teacher giveaways, posters, and holiday decorations. I think it ruined his shoes, and he was too polite to complain. (We are still investigating the state of his shoes.) Whatever his internal feelings, he pitched in like a cheerful champ. His last summer job was working for a tent company, and he said, “Anything\u00a0beats unrolling moldy rugs with dead mice on them in 95-degree heat.” I can’t argue with that! Still, slogging your way through the musty damp of a bookstore basement isn’t anyone’s dream first day, and we were hugely grateful for his energy.
\nOnce I arrived, I was too busy hauling, sorting, and throwing away to take pictures, but I remembered to take\u00a0some toward the end of the process.
\n\"\"
\nA few sideways photos from the wayside flood (apologies; I can’t edit rotation\u00a0here):\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"
\nThe culprit? The building’s rusted-out water heater on the wall outside our space.
\n\"\"
\nThe damage could have been much worse. Sandy’s quick action saved a lot of items\u2014including some irreplaceable memorabilia from our 20 years in business\u2014from destruction. My saddest loss? This glorious $250\u00a0Times Atlas of the World<\/em>. Fortunately, we can\u00a0get another one.
\n\"\"
\nLessons learned?<\/p>\n