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Capitol Hill Books Has DC’s Most Curmudgeonly Store Owner

washingtonian.com

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Re: Capitol Hill Books Has DC’s Most Curmudgeonly Store Owner

#11

Post by TeMPOraL »

I like his style. It seems honest. Most of his rules described in the article are reasonable (like those about backpacks or cellphones). His book classification is strongly opinionated, but I'd consider it a feature.

> The customer isn’t always right. I am. People don’t like that. They think I should be groveling—I don’t grovel.

Again, very honest, and I think he has a point. Most businesses today are run according to "customer is always right - as long as he pays" principle. I.e. they'll pander to you if they can make money, but the moment the transaction is done (or you're deemed more trouble than you're worth), you're treated as trash[0]. I personally prefer an up-front shopkeeper than one that pretends to be my friend (and one that is honest-to-God friendly ends up getting my repeat business, including buying things I don't really need just because I like them).

[0] - See e.g. subthread about coffee shops here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11802667. It's all super cute and lovely as long as you take your coffee and quickly leave.

Re: Capitol Hill Books Has DC’s Most Curmudgeonly Store Owner

#12

Post by vacri »

jrockway wrote: post #3

Hah, this is the perfect embodiment of why I rarely patronize local businesses. The kind of person who starts one of these establishments is no doubt quirky. There is a coffee shop next door to my apartment. It has random rules posted on all surfaces to which signs can be affixed. Feel like I'm going to go to prison if I walk in there and do something wrong inadvertently, so I just go to Starbucks to avoid causing an…

> he runs the bookstore solely to overhear people's conversations

This is a really weird thing to come away with. Hell, I remember as mobile phones were starting to become popular, there were more than a few comedians that had "how irritating it is to hear one half of a conversation" as part of their acts. It's not about eavesdropping, it's about a broken cadence.

Re: Capitol Hill Books Has DC’s Most Curmudgeonly Store Owner

#14

Post by WalterBright »

noir_lord wrote: post #10
santaclaus wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe this is all an east coast thing, though. There are some coffee shops in Oakland that have explicit no laptop policies. I used to live near a coffee in shop in Portland where the owner would randomly unplug the wifi if he didn't like the people sitting in his shop and working.

I think that's a reasonable if somewhat misguided policy, I've worked in coffeeshops and I make sure I buy something every half hour or so (not good for the waistline) since I'm occupying space they are paying for. I actually wish they'd work out what a fair market rate is for someone occupying that desk, throw in unlimited coffee and just charge me by the hour. If it gets really busy I clear out since they can make…

If there are empty tables, it's fine to sit as long as you like. If there aren't empty tables, it's common courtesy to eat and go.

Seems straightforward to me.

Re: Capitol Hill Books Has DC’s Most Curmudgeonly Store Owner

#16

Post by AstroJetson »

Been there and he has some great selections. So it's a fun trip. Most used book sellers I go to up and down the east coast are about the same level of "Happy to help you buy stuff, happy to help you out the door if you are annoying". Most used book people are not in it for a huge ROI, they are book lovers.

Re: Capitol Hill Books Has DC’s Most Curmudgeonly Store Owner

#17

Post by yuhong »

vacri wrote: post #12
jrockway wrote: post #3

Hah, this is the perfect embodiment of why I rarely patronize local businesses. The kind of person who starts one of these establishments is no doubt quirky. There is a coffee shop next door to my apartment. It has random rules posted on all surfaces to which signs can be affixed. Feel like I'm going to go to prison if I walk in there and do something wrong inadvertently, so I just go to Starbucks to avoid causing an…

> he runs the bookstore solely to overhear people's conversations This is a really weird thing to come away with. Hell, I remember as mobile phones were starting to become popular, there were more than a few comedians that had "how irritating it is to hear one half of a conversation" as part of their acts. It's not about eavesdropping, it's about a broken cadence.

I wonder if there are any who look at the network traffic on the Wi-Fi network.

Re: Capitol Hill Books Has DC’s Most Curmudgeonly Store Owner

#18

Post by wahsd »

I'm not quite sure what to make of a person like that offering a "post trump America starter pack". I for one want to MAGA because I have the dignity not to think that kind of book store is cool, or hip, or awesome or whatever the hippest of the hip bearded man-bun donning hipsters use these days to describe stuff they discover that was never lost or forgotten in the first place.

Interestingly enough, there are quite a few of these weird ass hoarder book stores in the DC area.

Re: Capitol Hill Books Has DC’s Most Curmudgeonly Store Owner

#19

Post by lovebug »

WalterBright wrote: post #14
noir_lord wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's a reasonable if somewhat misguided policy, I've worked in coffeeshops and I make sure I buy something every half hour or so (not good for the waistline) since I'm occupying space they are paying for. I actually wish they'd work out what a fair market rate is for someone occupying that desk, throw in unlimited coffee and just charge me by the hour. If it gets really busy I clear out since they can make…

If there are empty tables, it's fine to sit as long as you like. If there aren't empty tables, it's common courtesy to eat and go. Seems straightforward to me.

This is true, consider that having patrons sitting in your shop attracts others often enough that they will appreciate you being there if its empty. If it gets full though, buying stuff and leaving when you are finished is good form.

Re: Capitol Hill Books Has DC’s Most Curmudgeonly Store Owner

#20

Post by wahsd »

Something that looking at this post reminded me of is how all our digitalization is very much abdicating control of information and even down right ownership.

Does anyone remember the incident where Amazon just decided that they needed to delete books they had sold to Kindle users and just went in and did so off everyone's Kindle?

We have even arrived at the point where people don't even question ownership anymore. You can't give or sell your books, you can't buy second hand books, you can't sell your digital movies, etc. I thought I recalled either a court case or policy effort to make transfer and sharing of materials possible so you could, e.g., lend your friend a movie or book, and so you could sell a digital copy at a discounted rate.

I don't think people quite appreciate the ramifications of this, because sure, now it only extends to digital content, but how soon before other industries get the bright idea that you are only buying the "license" to the disign of their furniture and the design of their car and they are giving you the materials for free to use, you know, like it currently is with digital content, and then they make it illegal to sell your furniture or car or any other object that you are only licensing the deign of.

Because we know that it's not like movies or music has gotten any cheaper with the absence of the roughly 70% of production and distribution costs of physical media that has now all gone to profit.

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