"You need a Sunday feel-good story? Gather 'round," High Five Books, Florence, Mass., noted. "Two weeks ago, right as schools were being canceled and nonessential businesses were rumored to soon be shut, a Hilltown mom-hero reached out to us. 'We want to give you a boost and do something for the kids in our neighborhood,' she said. 'Can you put together a collection of 50 bags of activities and fun that we can safely distribute?' While used to physical distancing up in the hills, this mama worried how social distancing would exacerbate that isolation (ok, and kid BOREDOM).
"And so, late into the night, I stuffed bags. Activity books, coloring pages, sequined slap bracelets, early readers for the littles, snacks that might make unsuspecting kids smile. My kid and I delivered these Bags of Delight deep into Ashfield, to a farm where wily goats greeted us with bleats and bizarre stares. We arranged the bags into age-defined boxes in the back of a covered pickup truck. There they stayed, quarantined, for four days. And then the mama summoned her neighbors to come.
" 'It’s happening!,' she texted me. 'I am watching from my window sobbing. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!' Thank YOU so heartily, Anna Westley / Open Source Birth, for holding your people close from afar. We started this bookstore in the hopes of creating community around art, literature, and creativity. We sleep better at night knowing that even with our doors closed right now, that connection is still happening."
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In a personal note to customers, Susan Murphy, owner of Pages Bookshop, Detroit, Mich., wrote: "Whether you have ordered books online, bought a gift certificate, shared our story or sent kind words of support, I appreciate it all. Each and every one of you has built Pages into the community that it is. It has become just what I imagined five years ago. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
"I've received many emails asking how Pages Bookshop is doing and if we will survive this. I know other bookstores are raising money through GoFundMe and some have asked if I will too. I'm not pursuing this right now. I've received cash flow help from GRDC, @americanbooksellers and various publishers. I have enough of a cash reserve to hold out for a couple of months, although I have to have enough cash to open back up after this ends. A lot, of course, depends on how long Pages is closed. When I'm at a point where I need help, I'll let you know. I have, however, added a Donate button on the Pages' website if you wish to support Pages with a donation at this time.
"Rest assured, I will do everything I can to keep Pages going during the shutdown and to reopen when this crisis passes.... I miss you; bookselling isn't nearly as much fun without you in the store. My staff and I are working on different ways to stay connected and I'll let you know via email and social media what we come up with...."
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In a post titled "GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT," Sandra Deer, co-owner of the Little BOHO Bookshop, Bayonne, N.J., noted that the store "went dark amid COVID19 concerns" a week ago. "To all of you who’ve called, emailed, posted on our social media, sent texts, cards, letters with your well wishes, blew kisses at us through our locked door, ordered online, and offered to help... WE THANK YOU! We are aware that the majority of you who placed orders online this past week, did not do so because you needed another mug, or another book to add to your 'to-be-read' pile, or a gift card that you can use later. You ALL did so out of a generosity of spirit which moved you to want to support us during these truly uncharted times, and your kindness has MOVED us.
"It's hard to predict what the coming days and weeks will bring us, as the situation in and beyond BAYONNE continues to evolve. As we look back on this past week we are humbled by your kindness, buoyed by continued support, but mostly.... we are thankful that you our customers, your families and friends are WELL. Please stay safe everyone!!!"
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"Our door has been locked for weeks, but we now need to stop curbside pickup and delivery in order to shelter-in-place," Odd Bird Books, Columbia, S.C., posted last Sunday. "You can still order books through Instagram, Facebook, e-mail, or over the phone, and they will be delivered by USPS. Merchandise is also available to be shipped through our website. Beyond that, I'll say we're doing surprisingly fine for a small bookstore that opened a month before a global pandemic, so please feel free to worry about us less and direct any extra dollars you might have toward the small businesses that are still open--or toward local arts groups, nonprofits, and charities, all of whom need help now too."