Quimby’s is a famous zine store in Chicago. Never been to Chicago, but Quimby’s was the first store to carry Pathetic Life, so I love ’em, or at least I want to.

They reached out to me last summer, wanting to sell Pathetic Life, which sounded cool to me. They explained their invoice system and forms, used by all the zinesters whose work Quimby’s sells, so I play by their invoicing rules.

They only sent two of their invoice blanks, though, and my zine comes out monthly, so with the second shipment I enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope and asked for more of their invoices.

There was no reply, so my third mailing to Quimby’s included my own half-assed invoice form, another SASE, and another note asking nicely for more invoices. Also I asked real friendly-like whether anyone was buying the zine off the shelves. Still, no reply.

Quimby’s is a big store (I’ve seen pictures) and dealing with a thousand of do-it-yourself publishers must be a lot of work. Balls get dropped through cracks thin and wide, things get forgotten, and I try not to be too impatient but… they owe me $165, money which I’ll love to spend on cat food though I don’t have a cat. That’s how poor I am.

Almost a year, and I haven’t been paid, and my questions haven’t been answered.

Today, Quimby’s Spring catalog came in the mail, and Pathetic Life is listed — so whatdoyaknow, it is for sale there. Early issues are marked as ‘sold out’ in the catalog, so that answers my question on whether anyone’s buying it. But I was slowly simmered by this blurb toward the back of the book:

Wait a minute. I understand forms and letters, and postal problems, and a busy office, lousy cash flow, and lost paperwork. I’ve worked in offices, and understand all the things that can go wrong. If they’re too busy to bother with me, I won’t lie awake nights, and if they never pay me I’ll chalk it up to my own stupidity for trusting people I’ve never met at a store I’ve never seen.

I don’t think they’re ignoring me on purpose, but yeah, “Haven’t heard from you in a while.” So I’m supposed to call? Long distance? During business hours? That’s expensive. I still have wet dreams about Sarah-Katherine, but I’ve never called her long distance, even on the weekends when rates go down — that’s how cheap I am.

And I’ll be damned if I’ll make a long distance call to a zine shop that’s ignored me for almost a year. So if you live in Chicago, please subscribe. The zine no longer has a sales outlet there.

Addendum, here and now: Reading and re-typing this entry surprised me. I’d forgotten all about feeling shafted and ignored by Quimby’s, but I am a world-class grudge-holder — if they’d never paid me I’d never forget it, so they must’ve paid me eventually.

The store is still there, and as recently as a few months ago I mail-ordered some zines from them. Sure wouldn’t do that if I was angry at them, so I am certain as cyanide that they paid every dime they owed.

Bygones be bygones, thirty years after writing this angry page I’d say to forget you read it, but remember to buy some zines from the good folks at Quimby’s.