Bolen Books frivolity and fun!

Sunday was a BIG day for Bolen Books!

First, Mel Bolen, who started Bolen Books (the two times winner of a very fancy trophy for the Best Bookseller Of The Year) is retiring.

This is the very stylish and beautiful, not to mention incredibly intelligent (she likes me after all) woman of the hour.  She first opened the doors to her bookstore 37 years ago and with hard work, determination and a passion for books has made this store into the successful business and literary centre that it is.

In a time when more and more of our beloved neighbourhood independent bookstores are having to close their doors, Bolen Books is flourishing.

Mel has turned the reins over to Samantha Holmes.  Who, Mel confessed quite proudly to all and sundry, has already been running the place for the last ten years.  Apparently, the reins-turning-over ceremony was merely an opportunity to make the knowledge public and throw a great party to boot.  And yes, for my old-time bloggers, it is the Samantha Holmes, who accompanied me to visit with Rosie when she came to Vancouver on her True Colours tour as my girls-just-want-to-have-fun-cohort, and whose name has appeared in numerous blogs over the years… Okay, that sounded like I’ve been blogging for decades, I should be more specific. 

“In the three years that I have blogged sporadically, Samantha Holmes, now the proud owner of Bolen Books, has been mentioned more than three times in my posts.  How many times?  I can’t say, but more than three.“

Here is a picture of me with my fancy-fabulous-friend, Samantha, at the Bolen Books 35th Anniversary/passing of the baton Shingding.

It was a 70’s theme party with a 70’s band and yummy food that was popular in the 70’s and so there were 70’s flower power table clothes and… of course… one of those lights that changed colour. 

Well… Bob, (a publisher that I’d worked with) was there along with another publisher who I didn’t know, and she was standing by the light lamp and from where I was standing, the lamp’s strands were framing her head like a halo.  And I was trying to be Oh-yes-nice-to-meet-you, but it was hard to be all proper and normal because the minute I pulled my focus away from that halo around her head, that light behind her would change colours. 

I was quite excited by the magic/halo/light show and how cool it looked, but I kept it inside. 

A few minutes later they had drifted to another section of the party and when no one was looking I made Don take a halo picture of me.  We didn’t get the first attempt framed up properly.  My head covered up most of the light strands, so for the next one I bent my knees.  Don was a little slow pressing the camera button, and I was trying to look like one of those saint paintings on the church walls, but I was also, wishing Don would hurry up and take it before anyone noticed what we were doing and laughed at me.  Hence, I don’t look quite as angelic as I would have under a less covert operation.

Don says I look kind of scary and demented in this picture, but I think I look sort of like I have a halo.

After the picture was taken, I quickly removed myself from the area, as if distance would make me less embarrassed about how much I wanted that photo.

It was going to be our little secret, but of course, wouldn’t you know it, we come around the book counter and who should be standing there, but my friend, Samantha.  Well… what are friends for if not to tell secrets to?  So, of course I told her, but it was sort of hard to explain, so Don took out his beloved i-phone and showed her the picture, which she thought was hilarious and one thing lead to another and…

And then to top the evening off… The Blackberry/i-phone wars.

Posted by Meg Tilly on Saturday, October 23, 2010 in