When I first moved to Denver back in 1981, I worked as the manager of the Hatch's Bookstore in the University Hills Mall. Hatch's was a 6 store chain of bookstores owned by Bob Hatch, with an additional 2 stores owned by his sister. When I started, it was the smallest store in the chain, but expanded into an adjoining store with an outside entrance, and overnight became the chain's largest. I worked there from 1981 until 1984, when I started working at the University of Denver Bookstore. I have a lot of great memories about those days at Hatch's, and the day I started working at DU, knew I had made a mistake in leaving. However, not too many years after I left, the chain went out of business, like a lot of bookstores, and while not nearly as fun, DU provided a much better career path. Sadly, thanks mainly to the internet, bookstores - both independent and chain operations - are fast disappearing, and I was lucky enough to retire before they have totally disappeared. But nothing was as fun as back in those early days at Hatch's. And yes, that is me at the entrance to the Hatch's at University Hills Mall, enjoying the happiest years of my life, and not even realizing it at the time.
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