With so many indie bookstores closed for browsing and forced to rely on web sales and shipping, booksellers are increasingly turning to crowdfunding for support during the Covid-19 pandemic. Shelf Awareness has previously highlighted several indies using this strategy, and Buzzfeed News posted a list Saturday of more than 30 independent bookshops seeking community support.
Making international headlines over the weekend was City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, San Francisco, Calif., which closed March 16 as Governor Newsom issued a directive that all nonessential businesses be shuttered. The future for the legendary bookstore and press looked bleak.
Last Thursday, City Lights publisher and CEO Elaine Katzenberger launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $300,000, noting that the business "must remain closed for an indefinite period of time. Unlike some shops, we're unable even to process online orders, since we want our booksellers to remain safely at home. With no way to generate income, our cash reserves are quickly dwindling, with bills coming due and with a primary commitment to our staff, who we sent home with full pay and healthcare, and who we hope to keep as healthy and financially secure as possible."
Within a day, City Lights had exceeded its goal and has since raised a total of more than $450,000. On Friday, Katzenberger posted an update, noting that she had just returned from visiting co-founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti "to tell him what I could about the absolute torrent of love and support we've received since the launch of this campaign just yesterday morning, but to be honest, I found it impossible to describe. How can I ever articulate the impact of seeing a community of people from all around the world respond so immediately and enthusiastically to our call for help? Especially now, when so many people are thrown into their own financial and existential insecurity? Knowing that City Lights is beloved is one thing, but to have that love manifest itself with such momentum and indomitable power, well, that's something I don't quite know how to find words for."
Longtime City Lights book buyer Paul Yamazaki spoke with KRON about the bookstore's current situation and hopes for the future.
In addition to the booksellers mentioned previously by Shelf Awareness and Buzzfeed, other bookstores continue to join crowdfunding movement, including:
Anderson's Bookshops in Naperville, Downers Grove & La Grange, Ill.: "It's hit us all hard and stifled our world. We may not all be infected, but we are all affected. We cannot thank you enough for your loyalty and helping us to thrive. Our business has relied on cash flow and foot traffic over generations as your home for books here in Illinois. Without those channels, our future is uncertain."
Star Cat Books, Bradford, Vt.: "Don't let Covid-19 kill this bookstore! Most Vermonters have already decided to shelter at home, and even at mid-day roads are close to empty. Fixed costs continue. The owner of Star Cat Books has a compromised immune system, but fears she must stay open for the few people who are looking for books for their kids or themselves. 'Just closing' for two months, which is the shortest period the experts project this to last, guarantees the store will close forever. Even if two months is enough to end the risk, business will not return to normal at once."
Excelsior Bay Books, Excelsior, Minn.: "Woody and I bought the store three months ago to keep this beloved store in Excelsior. We are now faced with a perilous situation: Due to Covid-19 and the fact that we are closed to the public, we are running out of cash to pay our rent, utilities, payroll, liabilities and publishers, and make sure we have enough cash on-hand to re-open once we make it through. We'd also like to provide some support for staff through this emergency."