The Balloons Were Never Just Balloons

We filled the front windows with balloons.

Hundreds of them. We lost count somewhere around “Is this a fire hazard?” and “Wait, how many people have entered the giveaway now?!”

At first, it felt like a fun, colorful way to say goodbye. A final window display for Downtown Book & Toy. Something joyful. Something photo-worthy. Something that didn’t involve us crying in public. Again.

But as the balloons started to pile up - filling every corner of glass, spilling into the sunlight - it became clear: this wasn’t just a sendoff. It was a soft, floating welcome.

A first hello from book/shop, etc.

It marked the overlap - the strange, beautiful middle space where one story ends and another begins. A window filled with air and plastic and color... and somehow, memory and momentum too.

We launched a giveaway alongside it - because if we were going to go big, we might as well go chaotic. And the community showed up in force. Nearly 300 entries poured in. People tagged friends, reshared, guessed balloon totals, and made wild math calculations with nothing but vibes and determination. Some just said they wanted to win because it felt like magic.

That’s when we knew: the windows weren’t just holding balloons. They were holding energy. Hope. Curiosity. Play.

It was the first taste of what book/shop, etc. will always try to be.

A little weird. A little nostalgic. A little chaotic.
And full of heart.

Those balloons weren’t just decor. They were a love letter to the space we’re inheriting. A celebration of the story that came before. And a signal that something new is coming and it’s going to be fun.

So if you walked by and smiled? That mattered.
If you entered the giveaway? You’re part of the story now.
And if you felt a little lighter just seeing all that color?

Same.