1960_ THE RED BARN BOOKSTORE I worked for three bookstores: The Red Barn Bookstore 1960-61, Doubleday Book Shops 1961-1972, and Brentano’s 1976 to 1981. Each were experiences that I still treasure. As I remember events associated with them, I will share them with those of you who may be interested. Introduction I bought books at McMurray’s Bookstore, a family owned bookstore, that was situated on Commerce Street in Downtown Dallas. I had often gone there to buy books when I was in High School when I could not find what I thought I needed at the Dallas Public Libraries. Finally, the saleslady names “Birdie” told me that if I would be careful with the books, I could sit at the back counter and do my research. Bill Gilliland, son-in-law of the owner agreed. It was a great relationship. Bill was able to answer questions and/or direct me to sources that at my age, then, would not have thought about using. Bill was a mentor. “Birdie” carried two shopping bags, filled to the brim with her at all times. A lot of people in the area, who did not know her, referred to her as “the bag lady”. She had a brother who was a retired priest who also frequented the bookshop. He, too, helped me with research, themes, essays for English and History Classes. After I graduated from High School and while I was attending SMU, I worked at the Dallas Morning News part-time to have spending money. The Voice Scholarship covered tuition but not books and other necessities. I quit the Dallas Morning News when I left SMU and married my first Husband. I needed a job after I left The Dallas Morning News and found one at The Red Barn Bookstore on McKinney Avenue. It was a secondhand bookstore owned by the Mayhew Family. One day while I was pricing books, Bill Gilliland walked in and asked me what I was doing there and I told him that I had dropped out of SMU and had quit the Dallas Morning News. I needed a job and this was available. He said that Doubleday had purchased McMurray’s Bookstore and he felt that I would be happier there. It offered a future and better pay. THE RED BARN BOOK STORE did not offer either. I turned in my notice and went to work at Doubleday. Bill was right. The Chain offered better pay and opportunity to advance. Working in a Bookstore gets in your blood and you miss it when you go on the other careers. There are memories that stay with you for a life time. I will share some of these here and as I think of the ones with the two other stores I will share those at The Red Barn Book Store, Doubleday, and Brentano’s. And, Mother and I had a second hand book stall at a Flea market. We sold our books and shelves to the gentleman who opened Half Price Books. THE GYPSY FAMILY NEXT DOOR TO THE RED BARN BOOKSTORE There was fortune teller and her family that lived next door to the Red Barn Bookstore. She would come in about once a week and ask if we had gotten in any Bibles. When we did we saved them for her. We offered to give them to her, but she would insist on paying for them. She would give us a quarter or fifty-cents for them. I finally asked her what she was doing with all the Bibles she bought. She said they helped her tell the future or how to deal with the problems that her clients brought to her. She would cut out the verses out of the Bibles and put them in a basket. The client would pull a verse from the basket. The complete verse would lead to the positive side of the future or problem solution and the incomplete verse on the back the possible negative future or road block that might hinder a positive solution. The client was instructed to take the verse home and sleep with it under their pillow and then in the morning try to remember any dream that occurred during the night. She would help them with the dream as well. Also, they were to burn the verse and as the smoke ascended upward they were to offer a prayer for the future or for God’s intervention into solving the problem that they had. His will not theirs. Her payment was not accepted until the client was satisfied that all went as she had predicted. She had a brisk business. There was always a car in her driveway from the time the Book Store opened and until it closed. I noticed, during the year plus that I worked there that many of her clients were repeaters. I guess she was right most of the time. She invited me to tea one afternoon. The house was shabby on the outside. Inside it was clean and decorated with tapestries on the walls, oriental carpets on polished floors, and European antique furniture. She asked if I would like to have my fortune told and I declined. The tea was nice as was the cookies that she offered. I did become interested in the occult in the Urban setting, in part, because of this experience. I learned later from my Grandmother that another Fortune Teller near Fair Park used a similar technique. She had many, many clients from the Park Cities that swore by her. She, like the Fortune Teller I had known, also did not accept pay until the client was satisfied with her predictions or that the problems they asked for help with were solved. Her fee was whatever the client thought it was worth. Her house is gone, I think. I know where she lived. Grandmother showed me her house and I will try to get a photo of the location.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 14:22:28 +0000
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