I got my “Goddess in A Boat” Notecards today.
I’m selling them in packs of 3 for $10 + $5 shipping in my Etsy Shop. You can buy them by clicking on the Etsy Icon on the top of my blog or you can click here.
I have my cards and posters printed at A&M Printers. They’re right in town across the street from the Post Office. Brad, who owns the business with his father, never lets me know when something is done.
I walked into the print shop this morning thinking a proof of the card might be ready. The bell rang as I opened the door, letting Brad know someone was in the shop. By the time he came out of his office I had spotted the proof of my card under a pile of papers on the front counter.
It’s one of those places where there’s stuff piled up everywhere. Every time I go there a part of me wants to go behind the counter and start organizing and throwing things out. But Brad always seems to know just where everything is.
“This looks great I said, referring to the proof.” I was there to approve the card before they were printed.
“Oh yeah”, Brad said, “they’re all done, I just have to get you some envelopes.”
I proof read the back of the card with the title of the piece, my name and website, it was all as it should be.
Brad handed me a stack of unfolded card and a pile of envelopes. I said Thanks, asked how his cold was and left with my notecards.
Sometime next month I’ll get a bill in the mail.
This is the way it works. Sometimes whatever I’m having printed takes a week, sometimes two days. Sometimes I go to see if somethings ready and Brad will tell me they’re all printed, then rolls his eyes and says they just need to be cut. That’s his fathers job.
In the warm weather, when I’m having lunch outside at the Round House Cafe, I wave to Brad and his father as they walk by. Maybe they go to the diner for lunch, but as unlikely as it seems, I always get the feeling they’re just taking a walk.
I’ve come to enjoy working with Brad and his father at A&M Printers. I don’t find it annoying that they don’t get in touch with me when my work is done, or get a surprise like I did today when my cards were all ready and they looked great.
I’m in town almost everyday anyway, it’s become a part of the rhythm of my life. And stopping into the print shop, and talking to Brad directly is often easier than sending an email.
It took me a while to warm up to Brad. He’s not the most chatty person and I know some people who won’t do business with them because of their politics. But we get along in that small town way that people do. Part of it is need and convenience. But part of it is the desire to be good neighbors.
One of the reasons I moved to Cambridge was because I wanted community. And that’s something I feel like I’ve learned how to do.
