The novel resurgence of independent bookstores
Defying the onslaught of the e-book revolution, many small bookshops see a rise in sales, aided by savvy business practices and the 'buy local' movement.
Tammy Heupel (l.) sits with her son, Johann, and Annie Philbrick, owner of Bank Square Books in Mystic, Conn. This is the cover story in the Mar. 18 issue of The Christian Science MonitorWeekly.
Ann Hermes/The Christian Science Monitor
kansas city, mo.; and kalamazoo, mich.
Last October, when superstorm Sandy ripped through Connecticut, it flooded Bank Square Books in Mystic. Owner Annie Philbrick recalls walking inside to the smell of the ocean and a soaking wet carpet.
She and her staff had moved everything as high as they could before the storm, but water and paper are a disastrous combination. With no power to turn on pumps or fans, Ms. Philbrick was in danger of losing her stock of more than 30,000 books.
She put out an update on her Facebook page: We have to get these books out of here or we're going to lose them all. The volunteers started arriving. Philbrick's neighbors and customers helped the staff load 400 packing crates of books – enough to fill two Mayflower moving vans.
After the walls and floors had been repaired, more volunteers showed up to carry the books back inside the store. They loaded cards on spinner racks, dropped off cookies, and cleaned the windows and the floor. A PayPal Sandy Relief Fund raised $7,000 – enough for Philbrick to pay the movers and her staff.
The Heupels – Eric, Tammy, and their 12-year-old son, Johann – arrived to help the shop where Johann has attended "story time" since he was 3. Eric took a day off work to ferry crates, while Tammy and Johann volunteered for a week, alphabetizing and organizing stock.
Page 1 of 10
