Boulevard Bites

by Toni Locke

I sadly report that K.T. Graham's Paradise Books on Fruitvale in the Dimond is going out of business. K.T., like Ed Ranjbar before her, owner of the Little Book Shop at the same location, did much to raise the quality of life in the business area but found the going too difficult.

Roxie Kellam and Leslie Brandt told the following story on the Dimond Web site that may revive memories in Metro readers:

"Many of you knew the two cats that inhabited The Little Book Shop in the Dimond shopping district, Patches, the smaller calico who jumped on the counter to oversee sales, and Skoo-B, the larger, blond flame point who ruled the roost while sleeping in the window. Together they watched over the store, the customers, and Ed, the proprietor. When Ed sold the business all three retired next door to us on Linwood. The cats adapted to being both indoor and outdoor. To our frustration, Skoo-B marked our door, ate our cat's food, and did what cats do to establish territory, but he also greeted us in the front yard and let us pet him.

"Midsummer, Skoo-B stopped eating, drinking, disappeared for a day, and came back and walked over to me as I watered the back yard. He was thin and weak. Ed nurtured his sick cat, force-fed him food and water, and followed Cheshire Cats' veterinarian's instructions. Skoo-B cat put forth a struggle to regain his health but finally died on an August Sunday afternoon with Ed and us talking to him and softly stroking him.

"So, remember Skoo-B cat from the Little Book Shop, and hold Ed in your hearts. Patches, happiest if she were the only cat on the planet, is glad her rival for space and attention is gone."