"But I'm Not Dead Yet..."

Yesterday afternoon, I waltzed excitedly through the glass doors.

I hadn’t visited the Athens Book Center, located at 74 East State St., in nearly five months, and frankly, I’d missed it.

Upon arriving, I glanced around. To my right, a café-type area with tiny tables and chairs stood awaiting an intelligent tush to rest on it. To my left, two regulars catch up while relaxing on two of the three plush, worn couches.  The couches looked so inviting, but I admit, I didn’t have time to sit down.

After walking through the sitting areas, I was taken aback by the vast number of books exploding from the shelves and emerging from stacks on the floor. 

I walked through hall aligned with books and straight to the rear of the shop, to my favorite section of the store.  In this back room rest the foreign language novels, which I love to pretend I can read. OK, so I can read French, but that’s not the point.  Across the room are other novelties and books that need to be handled with care, which are kept in glass shelves.

The entire time I was in the store, I was surrounded by the smell of ink printed on paper, and the scent of binding mixed with a tinge of brewed coffee.

Something I never noticed until writing this: mega-bookstores like Barnes & Noble or even the college bookstores on campus don’t have the “book” smell.  This is disheartening. But thankfully, we have at least one bookstore in Athens that actually smells like books.

Some say used bookstores are a “dying breed.” In fact, Athens Book Center employee Justin Kendrick, a fifth-year student studying creative writing, used this term when talking about the bookstore industry.  But one reason he decided to work at the store is because it’s “the only real bookstore in town.”

He described the atmosphere as “literate,” or one in which customers converse about books and their favorite authors.

“You meet people who care about writing,” Kendrick said.

Although, due to time constraints, I don’t read nearly as much as I want, I get a certain unexplainable thrill when picking up a book, no matter if it’s new or used.  And I don’t know if any of you have had this experience, but I get excited when I visit a unique bookstore such as the Athens Book Center.

Caffeine with a Conscience

The aroma of coffee is not the only reason customers keep going back to Donkey Coffee and Espresso.

Kevin Jacobson, a first-year graduate student studying music education, has been working at Donkey for a little over one year.

“I like coffee,” Jacobson said, explaining why he works at Donkey. “I like the idea of justice and fair trade.”

Donkey is dedicated to social justice, and it even has a nook with the theme of "improving the world."  This tiny room in the middle of the café has a wealth of pamphlets, posters, bumper stickers and framed quotes of famous social justice advocates. This is where the tagline, “Caffeine with a Conscience,” really comes into play.

“We are committed to promoting justice in our community and throughout the world through public awareness, serving, and financial giving,” reads the social justice page on the Donkey Web site.

  Donkey brews organic beans labeled "fair trade." Its supplier is Dean's Beans in Massachusetts.

Dean’s Beans only buys coffee beans from “villages and importers that are committed to Fair Trade and working towards better economic opportunity, improved health and nutrition in the villages,” states the Dean’s Beans Web site.

Donkey supports wearing your conscience as well.  In the social justice nook, there is an advertisement for the Justice Clothing Company, an employee-controlled cooperative of sweatshop-free and union-made clothing.  All of the clothing is made in the United States or in Canada.

  “If you don't mind buying clothing made by slaves, children, indentured servants, or workers who are paid pennies a day, we are not your kind of store,” says the Justice Clothing Web site.

Other organizations in Athens that Donkey promotes include Amnesty International, World Vision, Good Works, Inc. and My Sister's Place.  The complete list is of organizations is here.

Here is a compilation of photos from the social justice nook:

Chai-nnoisseur

I took a few pictures of my Chaider on Thursday, but I never posted them.  Here's one photo of the infamous Chaider.  And I wasn't lying when I said it doesn't look appetizing, but like our moms always told us growing up, "You can't judge a book by its cover."

Also, if you're wondering just what chai is, take a look here.  This link provides you with history, recipes and products, all dealing with chai.