Years ago, I thought “hey wouldn’t it be great if I could easily move all the shelves in the middle of the shop.” My logic at the time was that having a little more space when I run writer’s groups would be nice. Also being able to move the shelves would make hosting other events a viable possibility.

But the shelves were large and most of them were attached to each other in ways that don’t make sense to anyone except maybe the guy who built them. So I put casters on the one shelf that was freestanding and not too big, and left it at that…

Until a month or so ago when I decided I want to be able to host open mic nights, bookbinding workshops, and larger writer’s groups of different varieties. I measured each shelf and the space they took up as a whole, did some calculations, some very technical sketches, and sourced the materials (even though I re purposed the old shelves those materials only stretched so far).

Removing all the books from the old shelves, and then dismantling them (the shelves not the books) took some time, but when it was all done and the shop was empty of shelves I realized my shop was much bigger than I thought. And then I used the wonderfully empty space to have a mini bookstore dance party.

The next step was a drive to Book End where my helpers (read: parents) were waiting to help. Followed by a tea break, and unloading the truck.

Then the real fun began. Here is the weekend summary in the form of pictures: