“People come for the books but stay for the dog!”
When Stacy Gould and her family first discussed the possibility of operating a bookshop, they considered the practicalities thoroughly. Gould knew she’d be the one traveling to the supermarket every day because the kids and her husband were both gone all day at school and work — and so would the family dog, Ruby.
Ruby is not only extremely important to her family, but she is also the nicest, sweetest dog who adores everyone she meets, so they decided a bookshop where people could come in and say hello every day would be ideal for her. In many respects, the bookstore would be hers, and Ruby’s Books was founded.
“Since Ruby would have to accompany me to the shop every day, we said, ‘Why don’t we name the business after Ruby?'” The Dodo reported on Gould’s comments.
Ruby is now Ruby’s Books’ co-owner, manager, and official greeter, and she takes her work extremely seriously. Ruby and her bookstore have only been open for about a year and a half, but they have already established themselves as an important part of the community.
“The customers adore Ruby, and she’s become a Sutter Street institution,” Gould said. “People come for the books, but they stay for the dog!” we joke.
Ruby’s family believes that having a healthy work-life balance is crucial, therefore she doesn’t go to the store every day. She works from Monday to Friday and spends her weekends with her family at home. She, on the other hand, likes every minute she spends at the business and has a slew of tasks that she proudly fulfills.
“Her responsibilities include greeting each customer at the door, rolling over for endless belly rubs, sniffing out treats within our customers’ pockets, mopping the floor with her very fluffy tail [and] reading (or pretending to read) alongside the kiddos in our children’s section,” Gould explained.
Ruby adores owning her own bookshop, and her family adores the fact that they now have a chance to share Ruby’s delight with the rest of the community.