Saturday, November 26, was Small Business Day in Lompoc, California, and we were invited to do a signing at a very special small business, The Bookstore. Why the (seemingly exclusive) name? Because, well, they actually are the only bookstore in Lompoc.

Lompoc is one of those large small towns spreading across the Santa Ynez River Valley delta farther than one expects, its streets named with letters as if those who built the town were far too busy with serious matters to wax lyrical with street names.

The Bookstore is located on (or off?) “H” Street in a small, Spanish colonnaded plaza. I have yet to find it directly without several missed turns and have yet to see a signpost designated “H” Street, but somehow always arrive there as if it called to me in some way.

Leslie Sevier purchased The Bookstore in 2009. She is a charming woman whose warmth brings the regulars back again and again. Under her leadership, it has become a readers’ haven with new and used books topically guided through her customers’ desires. On this day, a Scavenger Hunt was under way with clues throughout the store and a table full of prizes for the winners.

During a quiet moment, Leslie and I chatted and found that we held the Sevier name in common. Her Sevier family is from Oklahoma while mine is from southern Kansas. Are we cousins? Something to explore!

The day ended with a nice check for me, a busy day for The Bookstore, and a dozen books I left behind to replenish the diminished stack under “G” for Gamble on the Mystery shelf.