More performance news

We have set up a regular poetry reading on the first Friday of each month, starting tomorrow (February 1) at 6:30 pm. MC'd by local renowned poet Sharon Ramirez, expected poets include: Dave Lundee, Candice Sevilla, Bob Cohen, Ralph Tislarete, Doro Reeves, Mary Scheirman, Robert Scott,and Jim and Nan Hammonds. Add in the 10 musical performers we've already booked, Curt Hitch painting at the Art Walk (2nd Thursday in February) and we already have a lot of happenings set up for the year. Of particular note is Harry Stamper (Saturday Feb 2 at 2 pm * suggested donation of $5-15), Chris Chandler and Paul Benoit (Tuesday Feb 5 at 7 pm * suggested donation of $10), John Flynn (Friday Feb 8 at 7 pm * suggested donation of $7.50) - all donations to go the the artists.

Our WIFI is up and running, new books are arriving regularly and we continue to meet new friends and welcome anew the old ones. We continue to try new bakery items (we have a gluten free morning glory that is dynamite!) - fresh pineapple bread and upside down muffins. Scratch soup and quiche (two each day - one vegetarian) continue to be big sellers, often being gone by 1 pm.

Jerry and Jessica

"tycoonistas"

We have a winner

Our grand prize winner, Mark Stevens, came in Thursday to have a bite and pick up his print (see the photos). He was quite excited and agreed to pose for our blog. One of our new books, Gallop, has been galloping out the door, as it is a state of the art picture book with moving images that intrigues adults and children alike. We have new books arriving nearly daily, and special orders have been picking up as well.

We received a new shipment of posters and bumper stickers that is quickly being depleted with more on order.

Exciting news! We are kicking off our musical calendar with an embarrassment of riches. We have three live performances in early February. The first is Harry Stamper (Saturday Feb 2 - 2:00 pm) whose songs have been encouraging peace and justice ala Seeger and Guthrie for more than 30 years. “Songs really, really matter,” says Stamper who can even make folks laugh at songs about LNG. Suggested donation is $5 - $15. CDs will be available.

In the same vein, we're presenting Chris Chandler (Tuesday Feb 5 - 7:00 pm). who hails from the Washington DC area and will be working with Seattle guitarist Paul Benoit. Chandler promises his show will be "funny, community peace and justice oriented". Suggested donation is $10. CDs will be available.

Third, we have John Flynn (Friday Feb 8 - 7:00 pm), a politically conscious singer/songwriter making his first visit to Oregon. Shortly after his visit to Oregon, John will be appearing on a panel with former Attorney General Janet Reno talking about the power of music to affect social justice. Later, John and/or his music will be featured on two documentaries - one about the effects of Hurricane Katrina and the other about the world problem of pediatric AIDS/HIV. Suggested donation is $7. CDs will be available.

We're pleased to kick off our performance calendar with three such strong performers. Remember, the entire door goes to the artist. Let's keep the music alive!

Jerry & Jessica

"tycoonistas"

Grand Opening & business expo a success

Been off line for a while - but now I'm back. Our grand opening was a success, and we had a surprise visit from local musicians Janet and Ken Bates (pictures) on Sunday. A wonderful way to close out our four day bash. Abour 20 people were in attendance, and it was a very pleasant afternoon.

This past weekend, we participated in a local small business exposition. We met many new faces, many of whom have since put in an appearance at our store. Special order books have become quite big, as we can quite often get new books in 2-3 days, or within a week for used. With new books and gift items arriving nearly daily, the visual aspect is constantly changing. We feature cutting edge posters and bumper stickers which we are hard put to keep in stock.

Jerry & Jessica

"tycoonistas"

Here we are at 0 dark thirty in the morning of the second day of our Grand Opening - Birthday Bash (Jessica's). We're doing hourly drawings each day of the event (it runs through Sunday) with the last drawing each day being for a mini-grand prize. The ultimate prize is a print of "Pine trees in Snow" by our house artist Curt Hitch, which will be drawn for at close of business on Sunday (6 pm). All entries received throughout the event will be eligible.

We have lots of new eye candy (Fair Trade goods and coffee - teak leaf journals, tree branch pencils, both black and colored leads - electroplated tea sets in six bright colors (pink, purple, green, orange, green, and silver)). For those who like a more delicate look, we have tea sets & tea pots from Kinh, Bat Trang, a Vietnamese village with a 600 year tradition of pottery making. The name Bat Trang literally translates as "the village of bowls". Thirtyone percent of the Kinh people live below the poverty line. Your purchase of these Fair Trade goods make a direct difference.

SALE!! Twenty percent off art, jewelry and collectible glass. We have lovely clear glass and milk glass book ends, as well as a couple of carnival glass candy dishes. Beautiful landscapes where dreams merge with reality by Chisum Lucas, enticing botanicals by Joan Goodman-Fox. and some delectable still lifes and engaging portraits of women by Curt Hitch, as well as some modern pieces and dioramas, are only a portion of our available art. For those who like more tactile art, you can't go wrong with one of the amazing wood turned bowls by Rick Fox and striking bead and semiprecious stone jewelry by CZ Anderson. For those with a more delicate bent we feature the meticulous beadwork of Donna Wright.

Also check out the hand made one of a kind purses by Jessica and natural fiber baskets by Jerry (yes we do crafty things too). With books, food (many new delectable goodies) art and gift items, we provide titillation for a wide range of interests. Come and check us out and take advantage of all the great special deals and free goodies during our Grand Opening ---

****Special feature today!! The Lavender Lady will be doing a presentation of her products at 4 pm.

Jerry and Jessica

"tycoonistas"

Saturday - again

Hard to believe we've been open over a month. It has flown by. The weekend before Christmas, and here we are enjoying the liquid sunshine state and truly appreciating the people that cross our threshold. Saturday (and Sunday) are taste of "'N'awlins" days on which we feature beignets and chicory coffee. The week so far is looking even better than last. We still see 50-75% new people each day, many from our ads, most from word of mouth (friends telling friends) and some from drive by sitings. Many of the new faces are becoming regulars.


We have been ordering books on request, many arriving in two to three days, and expect the service to continue to be in demand.


We are continuing to try new bakery items (English ginger bar - lavender chocolate cake - almond pound cake - lemon pecan bread pudding, and our 'coupe de resistance', lemon tea cake) as well as keeping a variety of cookies, scones and croissants on hand.

We dropped the ball on our "crepes and carols" idea - time somehow got away from us. However, we will be breaking in our stage in January and will be posting more detailed information as we have it. Look forward to local artist demos, singer/songwriter area debuts, poetry readings, local musicians ....

Jerry and Jessica
"tycoonistas"

We have exciting things happening all the time. Yesterday our new ad in the South Coast Shopper came out. Locals can check it out to get a little background on where and what we are. We also received our new book shipment yesterday, replacing some fast selling titles (including Stephen Colbert's "I am America (and So Can You)") and adding several more. Today brought more "christmas" as a shipment of beautiful hand-warming mugs arrived - just in time for the winter season on the South Coast - nothing quite like a huggable cup of coffee or tea in a chilling rainstorm. Speaking of rain, we have only two of our special umbrellas left, "women authors", and "women artists".

We have great deals on used books. The hardcover ones (many in like new condition) are on sale - buy two, get the third of equal or lesser value free.

Come in and check out our selection of posters, bumper stickers and pins. Some folk are already calling us the progressive alternative. Heady stuff.

For the food oriented, we always have a delectable and ever changing selection of baked goodies - lemon tea cake, scones, brownies, several varieties of cookies, cinnamon rolls , carrot cake, and, of course, savory and sweet crepes.

Jerry and Jessica
"tycoonistas"

mid December --- already!

It's been a while. We got so wrapped up in getting open and putting on the finishing touches (ordering books, retail items and a new cooker), that we haven't been able to squeeze the time to write a bit. Now's the time. We've added a good selection of fair trade items, including tea cups & sets, drums, coffee, pencils & pens and journals. We also moved in more used books in preparation for a large sale starting tomorrow, and continuing through the end of December. We've ordered more new books to replace those that have sold. Some are so popular, they are on back order, but should arrive early next year, hopefully in time for our Grand Opening 'birthday bash' the first week in January. In addition to a grand opening we'll be celebrating Jessica's birthday (Jan 3-6) - after all it's not just a day, but a season.

Speaking of seasons, we plan to be open on New Year's Day to provide an alternative to the football marathons many will be indulging in, and will be offering exciting sale items. Keep checking in for more details.

I mentioned a new cooker. It is to be dedicated exclusively to gluten free crepes which we will finally be able to offer without fear of gluten contamination (quite possible when using the same cooker for wheat and gluten free).

This is a very exciting time, as we are meeting new and wonderful people, many of whom are networking for us, telling or bringing friends. Last week was better than several months we had at the old location. We have a book reading club which has been active for six years meeting here each week, and expect to have other groups in the near future as the word spreads. We are definitely a happening place, feeding our desire to be a vital part of community growth and interaction.

Our bakery is up and running (early morning - very) producing wonderful smells as well as delectable goodies (croissants, cakes, cookies, bread puddings, brownies, cinnamon rolls and sweet and whole grain breads), and we're always open for suggestions. We consider ourselves a 'grandma' kitchen and are trying to bring back the wonderful memories of grandma's cooking. Have a favorite that you loved as a child? Bring in the recipe or idea and we'll do our best to duplicate it for you. Along that line, we are now offering beignets and chicory coffee on weekends for a little touch of N'awlins on the South Coast. Of course, we still serve up delectable soups (two or three per day), all made from scratch as well as succulent quiche (don't see the quiche on our counter? - be sure to ask for it, as we keep it refrigerated for your protection).

Jerry & Jessica
"tycoonistas"