Potter Books

Some friends came to town and we headed off to Cambria. I hadn't seen these friends in some time and was impressed by how literate their children are for their age. For example, their 12 year old son bought Swiss Family Robinson to read while they were on vacation and removed the dust jacket while he was reading it in order to protect it from damage. So, imagine my surprise to hear the woman behind the counter reprimand my friend's daughter for replacing the dust jacket on a book that had been put on the book incorrectly at Potter Books in Cambria yesterday. On my quick exit from the store I noticed that they did have a sign imploring parents to keep an eye on their children, etc. I couldn't get out of that store fast enough!! We had been all ready to purchase books and other items, but not after that woman's attitude!! The way I feel about it is if a bookstore doesn't want children to be in their store, they shouldn't sell so many children's books!! At the very least they should apply mylar book jacket protectors if they are concerned about damage. I will never be going to this bookstore again, nor will I recommend it to anyone headed out to Cambria. In fact, I will make sure I tell them how we were treated when we were shopping there. Pros: good selection of children's books Cons: extremely rude owner more

I have lived in Cambria for 16 years, and never have I encountered such a BLATANTLY RUDE WOMAN AS THE OWNER OF POTTER BOOKS. I had some some out of town relatives visiting and took them shopping on Main Street. The people at every establishment were kind and helpful as always. (The locals of Cambria are always friendly.) Then I made the mistake of entering POTTER BOOKS. She was in the process of YELLING at a customer in a very insulting manner. I assumed the customer had stolen merchandise, why else would the OWNER YELL such horrible things at this young woman and her son. Well, it turns out that her crime had been looking through a book she planned to purchase. The customer abruptly left the store and swore never to return. I just glared at the owner and she snarled off a remark to me. I stood there and laughed. Any intelligent person would have had the same reaction. The situation was too absurd to be anything but funny! My suggestion to all is boycott this store. Hopefully she'll go out of business and leave our town. MS. POTTER should not be interacting with the general public. Suffice it to say I will never step foot in her store again. People come to Cambria to escape their realities for a few days; a trip into POTTER BOOKS will make anyone want to escape again!!!! more

Owner touts availability of children's books, but resents children picking up books and looking through them. Dropped by on Mother's Day because wife wanted to support small independent bookstore. While she browsed, my six year old picked up a book and sat on my lap and we leafed through the book together. He loved the book (something about a flatulent dog) and was excited about looking at the sequel. When he replaced the first and was selecting the other, the owner yelled "THAT'S ENOUGH!" We had been sitting in a chair behind a card display, out of her view, so I got up and asked "Is that comment for us?" She then began raving about how some children come in and rough-handle her books, leaving her with damaged goods. She looked at my wife, who had been browsing books in another corner, and yelled "DO YOU FEEL ENTITLED?" At this point my wife called our son to her and we made our way out to safety. Feeling self-righteous, the woman spewed further insults such as "WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU?" and "YOU SHOULD FEEL ASHAMED!" We knew we were in the presence of a person with serious issues so we just wanted to shield our child from such toxicity and escape. I phoned the shop the next day, thinking that the woman was a clerk out to undermine the owner, but she identified herself as the owner and angrily told me to take our business to Barnes and Noble. Parents, if you go to Potter Books, leave your kids at home. Much safer for them there. more