"I think I have said, 'I hope you are well and staying safe' about 800 times in the last week. Not knowing what to do, or what to say, as I try to doubly focus on the safety of my community and the basic sustainability of my business, has left me, like most, exhausted and sad. But there have been lighter moments: chatting with my incredible mail person or video chatting with publishers to show them the absolute stacks of orders we're shipping every day to you all. These moments of human connection coupled with the reality of moving to an online business for the moment led Loyalty to create these new Bundles and Bookseller recs.
"I became a career bookseller because of the deep satisfaction of finding the right book for the right person. I opened a bookstore because I saw communities under-served who were hungry for stories and authentic representation. These truths do not go away during a pandemic, but the very nature of the business must change. We also have to face the reality that getting individual orders in for specific books is taking longer due to the necessary safety slow downs in publisher and shipping warehouses. Plus, our booksellers and I are human. We need to stay safe and stay sane too....
"We're grateful to you for reading this, caring about the store, and above all taking care of yourself and others by practicing social distancing, sheltering at home, and if you are working in an essential profession and quite literally saving the rest of us I thank you. Shoot us an e-mail with your address and we'll send you something special. We hope you are doing well and staying safe (really, what else is there to say?)!"