The BOOKMARK in Dolega

A STORE IS BORN

There seems to be some opinionated ignorance about the purpose and existence of the BookMarK, which could have been clarified if anyone had the courtesy or sense to ask. Thus, (TA DA DRUMROLL) the Birth, Growth, History and Purpose of the humble BookMark, a Used book store in Dolega, Panama…

It was a dark and stormy… no, that’s not right.

In 1998, when my friend Jim MacLeod was dying in Anastasios, he asked me if I would buy his boxed book collection and a dozen revolving book racks, and arrange monthly payments to his widow, as his assets were pretty much gone. I agreed, and after he assured me there were three thousand paperback novels, the entire contents of a book store. he said, in Texas (I should have sent up a red alert at that) I hauled the books and racks to a friend’s house in Dolega, while I looked for a location to sell therm. Several months of false starts, and disappearing contractors, finally led me to the bungalow on the highway in Dolega (three miles from my house in El Frances, and an easy commute with dog). The eleventy- leventh “Ropas Americanas” had just gone out of business there. and I was somewhat discouraged by a family living in the back, but unconnected, part of the building. I borrowed five hundred dollars from a friend, and had some metal shelves made, and made use of the dozen revolving racks, and opened, in September 1999, the BookMark, used books, trade, sell, galosinas, helados, sodas, cafe and banana bread, sometime lemon meringue pie. The swimming pool was open across the road, and life was good…. until I opened all the book boxes and found I had over a thousand Historical Romances, and even more westerns, including complete works of L’Amour, John Jakes, the White Indian series, all of Westward America, and several others whose names I really want to forget. A most uninspiring start. (Except for all 88 novels of John D. MacDonald, which, alas, has diminished sadly). I would go to Costa Rica, scouring the bookstores (there were many more nine years ago) and hit the 12th Street bookstalls in Panama City (again, books were plentiful then) occasionally trying to talk Pa nama booksellers into discounts. Continue reading A History of the BookMark…