But let me walk you through yesterday's event one step at a time. The Bride and I arrived just before 2 p.m, and I snapped this photo of the bookstore:
The building is amazing: a former theater that eventually became a hardware supply shop. "For years," co-owner Deen Kogan told me, "this was the only place you could find certain pieces." While Deen and Greg have been busy filling the place with books, they've also been selling off the former inventory. In fact, when I called the shop earlier this week, the machine says, "Port Richmond Books and Hardware."As I mentioned yesterday, Port Richmond is the quintessential Polish neighborhood. I mean, look. Right across the street. A joint selling babkas:
Szypula's (and you thought my last name was tough) is the official rye bread and babka supplier of the Swierczynski family during the holiday season. They also donated a pound cake to the event, and it was pretty much the hit of the wine and snack room.Yes, there was a wine and snack room. Greg's wife Meg, a professional caterer, supplied the cheese and crackers, and Italian meats and mozzarella balls, and Polish meats and spicy mustard, and pita and hummus, and plates of other goodies I don't even think I saw. Meanwhile, Tom Kelly of the Philadelphia Wine Company generously supplied bottles of his Fishtown Red and Fishtown White. And three different breweries -- Yard's, Victory and Yuengling -- donated cases upon cases of beer.
Let me give you a glimpse of the wonders within the Port Richmond Bookstore. Here's me, in the vintage paperback room, about to press my pudgy Polish palms to the beaches of Heaven...
Somehow, I found myself drawn to this room whenever I had a free moment, scanning the gloriously faded and cracked spines.But I couldn't browse forever. Soon enough, I had to earn my beer and cheese. I had to read. And discuss. In front of people.
As it turned out, in front of a lot of people. As you'll see in the next post.
(* Loosely translated: "I want to make white hot desperate love to you.")
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