Written by Lauren Simmons // Photo by Macy Cox
Local bookstore workers found a new employee after they adopted a stray cat discovered outside the store. Books by the Pound employees dubbed the new feline family member and employee Edgar Allan Poe after he appeared three months ago at the storefront. Employee Anita Kelly said when she first saw “Eddie,” she felt heartbroken for the hungry, homeless kitten. She said it was natural for the store to keep him since other bookstores have been known to have cat residents as well.
“We brought him in and … I had some hesitancy because he looked very tiny and this store looked very big, and I sort of worried about him,” Kelly said. “Day number two, I swear he was greeting customers at the front door and helping lay books. He just has a personality that’s like he was born for it.”
Edgar, who was first named Agatha Christie until they could determine his gender, has lived permanently in Books by the Pound and been funded by the store. Employee Brady Matthews said various customers have donated money for his food and other necessities.
“The community loves him,” Matthews said. “They brought him his own little bed, treats, a collar, everything … He’s the sweetest thing. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Kelly estimated that Eddie is approximately three months old. The workers used the book scales to weigh the cat when he was adopted and said that Eddie has gone from 2.7 pounds to 4.7 pounds since he has lived in the store.
“He does the funniest things,” Kelly said. “He seems to know when I’m working with customers, and he sits on those plastic bags that I need to put books in just like he’s helping. It didn’t take him long to catch on to the goings on around here and to get right in the middle of it.”
Employee Jason Phillips said Edgar is in his “terrible twos” phase, wanting to play and interact, but the employees have never received anything but positive feedback for the feline’s presence in the store.
“He’s basically become a permanent fixture here,’’ Phillips said. “He comes and goes, he plays, customers enjoy him, kids enjoy him … he’s been a very docile cat.”
Eddie’s coworkers said that he has become an integral part of the bookstore community and likes to greet returning customers. His hobbies include playing hide-and-seek as well as roaming throughout the store.
“All of us enjoy that he adds a little life to the store,” Kelly said. “He’s just good to have around, he really is … Everybody’s in love with him, he’s just fun.”
