Remembering “Bean” on International Rabbit Day
When a B&Wn survey asked about bookstore pets, Katie Capaldi of Between the Covers Bookstore in Harbor Springs, MI, wrote, “Our bookstore pet just recently passed. Not a dog. Not a cat. Not a pig. But a rabbit. Named Bean. Everyone loved her. Even the neighborhood dogs. And she used her litter box right in the staff bathroom.”
Since we just celebrated International Rabbit Day over the weekend, I thought this would be good timing to remember this beloved bookstore pet. Katie shared with me this little profile of Bean:
As you can see from Katie’s description of Bean, bookstore pets can have great personalities. And through those personalities, you can have another voice speaking for your store. I recently stumbled upon a Facebook page for an outdoor museum sculpture that often comments about the weather and what she sees from her limited point of view. (Her relationship status? “It’s complicated.”) The NPR Bees used to be active on Twitter. Cat Golay even has her own Twitter account, and I’m sometimes shocked by what she’s thinking.
With a social media account, bookstore pets can use humor, sarcasm, photos, etc. to relay messages that your staff might be hesitant to say to customers. And while photos would typically be selfies, some could be images shot from the bookstore pet’s perspective.
Through Katie’s description of Bean, it’s apparent that she ran a great store. And I would have been one of her followers… socially.
