Keebe Fitch, owner of McIntyre's Books in Pittsboro, N.C., reported that her store was open only for phone orders, curbside service and delivery between mid-March and early June. When the store reopened for browsing, Fitch and her team limited the number of customers to 20 (there have yet to be more than 15 people in store at any one time), and some displays have been removed to allow for better socially distant browsing.
Masks are required in all businesses, per a statewide mandate, and McIntyre's Books is also asking customers to put on gloves when they enter, which the store provides. Fitch estimated that "maybe eight people" in the last two months seemed unhappy about the gloves and left. The vast majority of customers, however, seem very happy that the store is trying so hard to keep everyone healthy.
Other safety precautions include taking and logging staff temperatures before each shift, installing sneeze guards at the register and logging hourly wipe downs of frequently touched surfaces. One of the store's doors has been designated as the entrance, and another as the exit. Stuffed animals and other tempting items have been put out of the reach of children, and payment is credit card only for the foreseeable future.
Fitch noted that sales have been "surprisingly good" for the last couple of months, considering the pandemic and the fact that the store is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The store is getting ready to launch its own IndieCommerce site, and Fitch said they've all been "kicking ourselves that we did not move on that sooner." It has been very helpful, though, to guide customers to the store's Bookshop.org page while the IndieCommerce site has been in the works.
On the subject of the protests against systemic racism and police brutality that began in late May, Fitch said there were no protests in the store's immediate area, as it is located "between two cow pastures halfway between two cities." The store did, however, set up robust displays of antiracist titles and books by BIPOC authors. Titles from those displays, she said, have moved very well.
McIntyre's is also cosponsoring a virtual conversation series called Higher Ground, which will examine issues of race, justice and social equality, and features playwright and actor Mike Wiley in conversation with a variety of nationally known thought leaders. The first installment featured Wiley in conversation with Bishop Michael Curry, author of Love Is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times.
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In New Orleans, La., Garden District Book Shop has been open for browsing since June 13, when the city entered Phase 2 of its recovery plan. For nearly three months prior to that, said owner Britton Trice, the bookshop was limited to curbside pickup, free home delivery and shipping.
Trice and his team are asking all customers to wear masks and have made hand sanitizer available at the door. They've limited the number of people who can be in-store at a time and are frequently wiping down surfaces. Trice reported that they have not had any problems with people refusing to wear masks, and customers who have shown up without them have donned masks provided by the store without complaining.
Garden District Book Shop has taken advantage of the slowdown in business to remodel the store, all while still being open for browsing. Trice said they've been replacing the floors in three stages and are having new bookcases built to "fill the new space we gained in the remodel." Trice guessed that he and the team have moved every book in the store about five times now.
Like many other stores around the country, Garden District Book Shop saw a huge increase in the sale of antiracist books in late May and June. During that time, Trice said, the store set up a large Black Lives Matter display featuring related titles.
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Trenessa Williams, founder of the online bookshop Kizzy's Books & More, has been looking to open a physical storefront in Winter Garden, Fla., since 2019. Though it remains an online store for the time being, Kizzy's was featured on a number of lists of Black-owned bookstores to support that circulated on social media earlier in the summer.
The support, Williams said, has been awesome. She's seen an increase in sales, and word about Kizzy's Books & More has spread further than she would have ever expected. Keeping up with the increased demand, she added, was initially a challenge but also a valuable learning experience. "I am grateful for the support and the kind words that have been given." --Alex Mutter