Maricopans prove first class to Secondhand Pages Bookstore

Having grown up in a town of less than 10,000 back in Pennsylvania, it seemed to me everyone knew each other and helped out in times of need.

When I first started covering events in Maricopa earlier this summer, it seemed like it was one bad piece of news after the other. Issues at city hall, traffic accidents, conduct issues for this person and that person, etc.

I had to ask myself sometimes if anything good happened around here. I also wondered if people would be there to help their fellow neighbors or businesses out. I’ve since come to see a number of good things in this city. One such thing took place Monday.

On Monday morning when I got the call to check out a break in at the Secondhand Pages Bookstore on W. Honeycutt Road, I saw firsthand Maricopans helping each other out.

Owner Jennifer Kacprowicz was a victim of a break in during the early morning hours of Monday. Only a computer monitor was stolen, but that wasn’t the point. Someone who obviously has put time into her business to make life a little more enjoyable for local residents had been intruded upon. “Who steals from a used book store?” Kacprowicz asked.

As we were talking about the break in in front of her store, a woman came by with a fan for Kacprowicz. The vandal or vandals has smashed the window to the store, meaning running the air conditioning inside the store on another summer morning would be less than effective.

While Kacprowicz’s husband taped up the front door with a covering until new glass could be installed, it was likely that we were in for another hot day in the city.

Yet, here comes a woman from another business just a few doors down from the bookstore to offer Kacprowicz a fan that would keep her business cool while she and her husband finished getting things in order.

The two women had a short hug, and Kacprowicz and I resumed our conversation. I thought I heard the woman who brought the fan by say her name was Patty, but she didn’t seem to care if this reporter heard it or not. She was simply being a good neighbor, helping out a fellow business without wanting any accolades.

The inmaricopa.com forum was buzzing on Monday with people offering Kacprowicz fans, computer monitors and whatever else she needed to get things back in order.

While I felt sorry for Kacprowicz that some person or persons would do this to a business that does good things for Maricopans, I could see that this woman was determined to go on with things.

Not only was she not going to let this person or persons who broke in get her down, she was also taking the time to thank the community on the forum during the day for the outpouring of assistance they wanted to give her.

In times like this, you know that Maricopans do come together for each other.

While I still had to go back to the office and report some more bad news about a break in, I left knowing that I had just seen something good after all.

Way to go, Maricopans, for being there for Jennifer.