Around 8 p.m. Jan. 21, Oswego Police reported Mark Kahler, 22, of Rome, NY, ran a red light heading west on West Bridge Street when he swerved to avoid a vehicle traveling north on West 1st Street, driving onto the sidewalk and into the side of The River’s End Bookstore, a local book shop located in downtown Oswego. 

While finishing dinner and getting their children ready for bed, the owners of The River’s End Bookstore, Emil Christmann and his wife, Megan Irland, received the news no business owner wants to hear.

“A friend of ours who is a firefighter for Oswego told me an accident had happened at the store. I grabbed some tools and tarps from the garage thinking I could patch up the damage, not yet knowing the extent,” Christmann said during a phone interview.

Oswego Police issued Kahler five tickets, including one for reckless driving. 

“Once we pulled onto the street, we realized how serious it was. We are very thankful no one was injured,” Christmann said. 

Christmann and Irland are grateful for the quick and generous support received from the Oswego community.

“Bruce Construction patched us up within four hours of us receiving the original call and Burke’s Home Repair opened after-hours to get supplies to finish the job. Many people have stopped in since the accident to buy that book that has been on their wish list,” Christmann said. Local businesses offered assistance along with friends and customers who brought food during the cleanup and the following days.

Currently reopened for business, The River’s End Bookstore still has repairs to do. Within the next two months, the bookstore will close temporarily again for new windows, doors and carpeting to be installed. 

“We are still waiting on a quote for the damage, but we are pleased with the progress,” Christmann said. 

To highlight Christmann and Irland’s resilience and sunny disposition, Christmann shared that he has found some humor through the damage.

“After I received the video of the accident, which occurred the same night as the Bills’ loss to the Chiefs, I took the audio from Bass’s wide right kick and put it over the video. It’s funny how closely it matches the accident, just wide right,” Christmann said as he made the comparison. 

“We’ll keep going. Like Randy Newman said: ‘Roll with the punches,’” Christmann said.

Author and other book events are still happening at The River’s End Bookstore regardless of recent events. 

Photo by: River’s End Bookstore via: Facebook.com