Booksellers Weather Another Storm: Hurricane Charley

For some it was the storm that wasn't, but for others, whose businesses and homes along Florida's Gulf Coast were barraged with winds up to 145 miles per hour, Hurricane Charley was the source of devastation and injury. Most booksellers contacted by Bookselling This Week fared well through the storm, one of the worst in recent memory. Representatives of LIBRIS, the ABA-sponsored bookstore insurer, told BTW that all of the 20 bookstores in Florida covered by LIBRIS had been contacted and none were claiming property damage to their stores. However, in the areas hit hardest by Charley -- islands and communities on the southwestern coast of Florida -- most booksellers were still unreachable on Wednesday, August 18, almost a week after the storm roared through. Many places on the Gulf of Mexico, including Sanibel Island, still had no power or water. (Bookseller Charlotte Deon, owner of Books & More on Pine Island, part of the severely damaged town of Matlacha, contacted BTW late Wednesday, when the store's phone service was restored. To read her account of Hurricane Charley, click here.)

In Orlando, three-year-old Urban Think Book Center became a safe port -- albeit landlocked -- in the storm. According to store manager, Jim Crescitelli, the store closed Friday and Saturday although the building never lost power. Parts of Orlando were badly hit, many houses were damaged, large oak trees in Orlando's old neighborhoods were downed, and many people lost power. On Sunday, Crescitelli told BTW, the atmosphere in the store was downright festive, with crowds lured in by the air conditioning, the large screen television, the bar, and the books. Many had not been out of their homes for two days and were in great need of a party.

A number of booksellers were prepared for a hit but emerged unscathed. Carla Jimenez, owner of Inkwood Books in Tampa and an ABA Board member, considered it very fortunate that, despite the mandatory evacuation, the impact of the storm was so minimal that political signs in homeowners' front yards were not knocked over. "Hurricanes are flukes of nature," she told BTW. "We were threatened and prepared but nothing happened. People thought that the diameter of the storm would be greater and that Tampa would be hit directly. The areas that were hit experienced less of a tidal surge than expected. These storms are not entirely predictable." She noted that very new construction, subject to the stringent codes required after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, held up far better than older buildings, even in the hardest hit areas.

Eric Lamboley of Circle Books in Sarasota told BTW that they were also required to evacuate the city Thursday evening after boarding up the store. "Our local news station took pictures of us working on Thursday, around noon, because we were the only store taking action at that point. More joined in later in the afternoon." Gratefully, they returned to a dry, intact store. "The store passed far enough south and east that we did not receive much rain or wind force to cause any flooding or wind damage. I am saddened by the devastation the storm caused south of us and realize that if Charley had passed through here or Tampa, the damage would have been magnified tenfold."

At Bayboro Books in St. Petersburg, assistant manager Mike Dixon told BTW that residents expected an appearance by the hurricane. "We were prepared for Charley's visit, but didn't have any of its effects. For the first couple of days, we were supposed to be at ground zero, our store is actually one foot below sea level, and only a half mile or so from Tampa Bay. We had cleared out the books, which were a foot or two above the floor, and taped and boarded the windows. But, this was just good practice for us, since we only got a little rain and no wind. I feel for the booksellers who were affected, since books aren't things that handle water well. And since most of us booksellers approach this as a way of life as much as a job, a loss like this can be quite devastating."

One might think that with a name like Hurricane Books, located in Gulf Breeze, near Pensacola, the 15-year-old store was tempting fate. Not so, owner Debbi Wein told BTW. "Hurricanes are very fickle; they can turn on a dime. In 1995 Pensacola had two direct [hurricane] hits so we had our guard up. For us, Tropical Storm Bonnie was more of a problem -- it came through in the middle of the week. All week, people were stocking up on personal effects, safety [items], food, water, batteries -- that's their first concern, not 'Do I have the latest bestseller.' Fortunately my business is not right on the water. We didn't feel anything."

A few booksellers found some silver linings among Charley's clouds. Before the hurricane, Vero Beach Book Center had a run on "Itty Bitty Book Lights" along with "something to read during the weather."

In Winter Park, Chapters Restaurant & Bookshop owner Marty Cummins said, "We were one of the lucky ones. No wind damage, no rain damage, no trees falling into the shop, and no damage to our house to speak of. Our only problem was no power for four days, which resulted in over $10,000 of ruined food in our coolers and freezers and lost income of at least $12,000 -- a bit painful. However, we are back open now, people are streaming in, buying new and used books along with their lunches and dinners. As I said - we were very lucky."

Booksellers noted the generosity and kindness showed by customers and friends. Although Charley did not hit Atlantic Beach, home of the Book Mark, store owner Rona Brinlee told BTW of the concern paid by others. "We had several publishers call to check on us prior to the hurricane making landfall, and one of our authors even called to offer us a place to stay if we needed to evacuate. Here we are suffering survivor's guilt, worrying about those who were hit." --Nomi Schwartz

On Wednesday, August 18, Bookselling This Week attempted to contact ABA members in parts of Florida hardest hit by Hurricane Charley. Most remained unreachable by phone or e-mail, but Charlotte Deon, owner of Books & More in Matlacha, Florida, had just had her phone service restored and provided BTW with the following account of her ordeal.

I never thought I would be anywhere near a hurricane, especially a Category 4. I had actually left my home on Pine Island to wait things out in Orlando, when I heard that the hurricane was heading towards Tampa. Thinking I would be better off on Pine Island, I returned home with my two daughters. Surprise!!

We had the hurricane shutters up, a good supply of water, batteries in the radio, etc. When we heard the eye of the storm was headed for us (we are about two miles from Bokeelia) and it was a Category 4, we just hunkered down and hoped for the best.

My house is okay, minor damage, my yard is a mess, and we just got water about an hour ago. Still no electric or phone at home.

As for the store … no storm shutters, so three windows blew out. I had some water damage, and grass, leaves, etc. blew in and stuck to books. The wind was the most amazing, powerful thing I have ever seen. I was very worried about the storm surge, because the store is about 50 feet from Pine Island sound. So before I left for Orlando, I had raced around like crazy getting everything off the bottom shelves and piled on tables. I went through a flood with a toy store I owned in Montpelier, Vermont, a few years back, and I was really worried about soggy books. However, the water damage I sustained was from wind driven rain, and minor roof drips. All the books I piled on the tables got wet, from rain coming in through the windows, and the drips from the roof. But it just takes a small amount of water to ruin a book!

Anyway, I open for business tomorrow, with a "slightly damp" sale!

I would like to say that so many homes and businesses are in much worse shape. Our little town of Matlacha, Florida, is going to take a long time to recover. Many businesses lost roofs and had terrible damage.

Telephone poles are snapped in half, huge mango trees were uprooted, coconut palms actually snapped in half. So many people are in worse shape.

This is the first day I have phone service at the store, and I have electric here so I can use the mini fridge and microwave as my kitchen.

Even though I was not open today, I actually had customers come in and make purchases, so I know the community will do what they can.

No one was killed or seriously injured, and that is what is really important. So my plan is to get back to normal as soon as possible. I love my little bookstore, and I am so relieved it is still standing.

Charlotte Deon, owner
Books & More
Matlacha, Florida