Comfort in a specialized setting

It was cool to have an idea promoted to a national, chain-wide audience.

I make the comparison between the between the bookstore and other specialized - or seemingly specialized retailers - like auto parts stores or home centers. I'm always grateful for the help some of those folks give me, and I appreciate that they don't treat me like a dope because I didn't pay attention in shop class.

The bookstore intimidates some people in a similar way and it's worth reminding that Nathaniel Hawthorne is as bewildering to some folks as electrical systems are to me. We have an opportunity to help people feel comfortable in the bookstore and the attendant life of the mind. Or by being snotty, or patronizing, or too hip by half, we can alienate them and remind them why they hated school and us when we were in school with them.