NewCanaanite.com (https://newcanaanite.com/tag/elm-street-books)
For the third installment of our local holiday shopping series, we spoke on Wednesday afternoon to Elm Street Books owner Susan Rein and manager Manda Riggs.
Here’s our interview. ***
New Canaanite: I know it’s early in the holiday shopping season, but how’s it going so far?
Susan Rein: It’s going. We had a great Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Getting lots of people in. My hope is it continues that way.
Join us for a special afternoon with certified nutrition coach and wellness author Justine Bassani as she hosts her first official book signing for Eating Lessons. This empowering read breaks down fad diets, reveals the truth about popular health trends, and helps readers reclaim their relationship with food through self-love and practical strategies. Enjoy refreshments courtesy of White Buffalo, browse All Glowed Up merch, and be among the first 10 guests to RSVP for a free swag bag! The event takes place outdoors in front of Elm Street Books. Whether you’re a wellness enthusiast, a local reader, or just curious about leveling up your health, come celebrate the glow-up.
For today’s installment in our local holiday shopping series, we spoke to Manda Riggs of Elm Street Books at 35 Elm St. Here’s a transcription of our conversation.
***
New Canaanite: How’s it going so far this holiday shopping season? Manda Riggs: I would say it’s been soft, actually. I’m not entirely sure if it was the shorter shopping season—‘longer November, shorter December,’ as we say—not sure if it was an election result. I looked at our numbers from 2020 and 2016. It looks like our Decembers in those years were also a tiny bit soft, so we’ll see.
Local photographer Jane Beiles has published a planner titled, “52 Weeks: A Pictureful Planner for Inspiration & Organization.” Her first customer: Elm Street Books.
‘Who Knew?’ is sponsored by Walter Stewart’s Market.
The fun thing about getting older (besides knowing where all the candy is hidden) is that you start to enjoy giving gifts more than receiving them. There’s a midlife shift toward benevolence, whether brought on by parenthood, maturity, or working with a therapist to develop a more sensible attitude toward hoarding Legos. Turns out, ‘tis actually better to give than to receive.
And when the holiday season rears its $960 billion head in mid-October, we all start to get the Gift Sweats. Not that we won’t find anything; that’s impossible when consumer culture confronts each of us with 4,000 to 10,000 advertising messages per day. But we fear that it won’t be the right thing.