he leads me to a section of the bookstore and stops

Meet Dashiell.  He lives at The Raven Bookstore in downtown Lawrence. 

People think he is an ordinary bookstore cat.

But he used to be an operative for the Pinkerton detective agency and he really "knows" people.   

When he retired and came to live in Lawrence he found he missed the everyday interactions with those who needed his skills.   So he responded to a help wanted ad and was hired as an "observer" and therapeutic listener at The Raven.   People tell a cat all sorts of things.   

Things that lead him to understand just the book they are looking for.    Here's how it works for me.  I go in.  I greet Dashiell.  I pet Dashiell.  I talk to Dashiell.  Then he leads me to a section of the bookstore and stops.  This is where I know I will find my next read.  The book I needed but didn't know I needed.  Until Dashiell enlightened me.   

Cats are very good for business.  All sorts of business.   

Comments

[Judy H.]

'Cats are very good for business.' True that.
Dashiell looks like a wise and lovely bookstore cat. :)

[jacki long]

Still another treasure.
Looking forward to each day.
You add to my life.

[Joan]

Love his name! I have a friend who names her cats after singers she loves. Authors would be another endless source of great cat names, like Hemingway, Steinbeck, or Conroy, to mention a few of my faves. I'm assuming that Dashiell's surname is Hammet? So fitting for a bookstore cat.

You didn't mention the book title that Dashiell helped you find.

We have no independent bookstores, neither new or used. 3 closed this last couple of weeks. How sad is that. Now we only have Barnes & Noble and certainly no bookstore cats there.

[Debbie]

I sure miss little independent bookstores...and bookstore cats. In CA we had a rubber stamp store cat named Autumn...she'd follow you around & untie your shoelaces...so cute!

Thanks for sharing Dashiell with us!

[Robin]

He looks like a handsome and wise fellow. I love cats (I have 4) and I love books, it would be a place I would visit often. An automotive store in our area had a cat and after hours he would be looking out the big windows, he was great.

[anja]

love your blog and the way you tell stories. I came upon your blog since your last stay in palm spring via your sister's blog.
so funny when you observe how people tell animals anything; oh if they could talk.....