When flush with cash, I like to stop at the local book store. In the front corner, there are a couple of stuffed armchairs, in the mold of the big box stores, but the view in the local shop is far more pleasant. One can sit with a book, or a stack of books, and gaze out of large windows that once framed the displays of the pharmacy that originally occupied the space. The old wooden floors are worn, grooved near the door, and squeak with old bookshop sounds. Residents of the town tend to patronize local businesses, and that may be the secret to keeping the shop going in the face of fierce competition.
Had I gone to the local mall to browse the shelves, I never would have heard that Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughn had been seen earlier that day, dining at a nearby restaurant. Strangers chatted with the book vendor, exchanging opinions on the relevance, or its lack, while filling in the newcomers to the town's history. "He's from here," was an important notation, along with the observation that he graduated from the local high school and had recently spoken to the students about acting and the film industry.
No one was star-struck, or felt a need to run over to the restaurant to see if the famous couple was lingering over coffee and creme brulee. It was enough to ponder the seriousness of their relationship, suggesting that he might have been in town to introduce her to friends or family. Possibly, they were scouting movie locations. In general, the customers in the bookshop were hopeful of another movie production coming to town. A little excitement is always nice when one lives in a place where nothing happens.
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