Cupboard Maker Books

 "I just woke up one morning and realized that I wasn't happy with my life or my job...and bought a bookstore!" Michelle Mioff-Haring beams over the large, dusty, wooden counter- cluttered with a large, old-fashioned cash register, piles of books, and a cat. From the street, Cupboard Maker Books makes a big impression; huge, colorful paintings of different book covers line the outside of the store. A sign hangs on the door, squeezed in-between the large, vivid paintings, reading Please Don't Let The Cats Out!. As soon as the door opens, the smell of old books and fresh paint are apparent. A silver cat with a burgundy ribbon around it's neck and bright blue eyes sits near the door, waiting to greet people. A sign that reads Beware of Falling Cats! hangs from an overhanging beam.
      "That's Squeekie. He's the only cat in the store that isn't up for adoption. All of the others are apart of this organization that we pair with called Castaway Critters. We home cats here so people can see them, fall in love with them, and hopefully give them a new home! We've managed to give over 13 cats and kittens a new home since we opened in 1998," the store owner pipes up as we fawn over the beautiful Siamese. She informs us that Castaway Critters is a local no-kill animal rescue that lets businesses foster cats in their stores to get more people to see them. She is long-time friends with the owner and when he asked if she wanted to host a few cats in her bookstore, she was ecstatic.
        Walking past the front desk, a chalk outline of a person on the ground stands out, with a sign reading Mystery Books above the isle. On the sides of the wooden, home-built bookcases, measurement markings stand next to hundreds of signatures and quotes from customers over the years. Further into the store, there's a special wall marked Wall Of Fame: Authors Only with multiple signatures underneath. Some of the quotes etched into the bookcases read "Best bookstore ever!" and "I came for the cats and stayed for the books!" and multiple quotes about books by famous people including "I cannot live without books" by Thomas Jefferson and "A room without books is like a human without a soul". Sitting snugly in between the giant wooden shelves is a three story cat house, clad with hanging feathers and balls. A black cat is perched at the top, glaring down at the customers as if they are unworthy of its presence. Squeekie struts around confidently, walking up to every customer and begging to be pet.
"I had always loved books and cats. And now I get to experience both of them together! I just realized that I wasn't happy with my old job. Someone once told me that 'If you can do what you love and be happy, then you're already ahead of most people in the world'. And I realized that I wasn't doing what I loved and I wasn't happy. So I quit and bought a bookstore and here I am, over 12 years later, as happy as ever!" Michelle is a friendly looking woman, with a big smile and greying hair. Her husband, Jason, sits behind the desk with an orange cat on his lap. Both of them quit their old jobs to dedicate all of their time to the store. Michelle, once an elementary school teacher, realized that lesson plans and grading papers just wasn't for her. Jason, an ex-builder, seems happier than ever as the cat in his lap purrs under his fingers and he smiles up at his wife proudly as she speaks.
"It helped a lot that Jason had past experience with building; him and our friend build every single one of these bookcases by scratch! That's sort of how we got our name; because of the fact that we built all of the furniture ourselves."
In the middle of the store, a brightly painted yellow brick road swirls around and disappears around a corner behind a shelf. On the back wall, a young girl balances on a latter, outlining and painting the beginnings of a green castle on the bland white wallpaper. Dusty, ripped bindings are lined in an aisle entitled Antiques. In the midst of piles of books overflowing from the shelves, a cat bed sits nestled in the middle of it all. In the back of the store, an old, antique table sits, surrounded by rickety chairs.
   "We hold book clubs here multiple times a week. The idea came to us from a customer, after we had been open for a few years, and we just went with it! It's proved to be a huge hit. We have a teen one, as well as one for kids and one for adults. It's super fun to just sit back and take turns reading a good book, with cats jumping up on people's laps and even the table!" Michelle and Jason both laugh, as if recalling a fond memory. The whole feel of the store is relaxed and homey, with multiple cat homes and beds scattered in random places. Movie soundtracks play quietly in the background, on an old radio that sits behind the cashier's desk. A framed newspaper article hangs on the wall, titled Sold on Service. The date on the yellowing paper reads November, 2002.
"That was the first publicity we ever got, four years after we opened. It was rough at first, but we began expanding through word of mouth. The cats definitely helped. They really know how to draw people in! The news articles helped a lot too."
Their business seems to need no help now. With the parking lot almost completely full, the store is bustling with people browsing the shelves for a good read. A lot of people seem to be drawn near the section reading Signed Books. A few famous authors have even stopped by, leaving their mark on the Wall of Fame bookcase.
"This place has really become a dream come true for us. We are truly finally happy; we get to spend every day around books and playing with cats! I wouldn't have it any other way."