Dear Booksellers,

No musings. No poetry. Just sustenance today, so let’s get started...

Diversity

Thank you to Angela Maria Spring—owner of Duende District (“a pop-up boutique bookstore by and for people of color, where all are welcome”), ABA board member, and a member of ABA’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee—for her great article in Catapult magazine and the important reminder that we’re not all having the same experience during the coronavirus outbreak. ABA is continuing to look for ways to support booksellers of color and other diverse communities during this time. Reach out if there are ways we can help.

Creativity

I loved hearing about Innisfree Bookshop in Meredith, New Hampshire, partnering with a neighboring candy shop to sell Easter baskets. And another (non-essential) store that set up a pop-up kiosk in their (essential) local grocer. One bookseller mentioned reaching out to other stores on his street to see if he could offer his e-commerce services since the other stores don’t have websites—a great way to combine forces and email lists, and be a good community partner. I’m waiting to hear of a bookstore that has started making and selling masks alongside books. A friend’s donut store is partnering with local hospitals to provide coffee and treats to local healthcare workers, and customers can donate to the donut cause. Changing Hands is using their bookstore bar to create pantry packs for their employees — they’re ordering food wholesale and staff can buy the packs at cost. Neighboring restaurants may be willing to work with bookstores in the same way. There are so many ways to be creative right now and endless ways to be of service. The challenge is bandwidth. Look for the helpers, partners, or volunteers, or carve out time for you or your staff to do something that could pay off in other ways, now and down the line.

Essential

Some of you are still hoping that your stores will be deemed essential during the crisis. Others have reported to us that they were considered essential but now find that categorization being challenged. (A local government overriding the state mandate, for example.) Here are some best practices from members who have lobbied for essential status and won:

• Stress that you appreciate all that’s being done for public safety and believe that the shelter-in-place mandates are necessary.
• Argue that:
  • Bookstores are essential to providing books for educational, intellectual, and psychological support during this difficult time.
  • Bookstores are essential to support homeschooling while schools and libraries are closed.
  • Many bookstores are working with their communities to get books to families that wouldn’t ordinarily be able to purchase them, which is especially important with schools and libraries closed.
  • Indie bookstores are one of the only ways to get books right now as Amazon has deprioritized books and schools and libraries are closed.
• Stress that your store is:
  • Closed to the public and staff has no physical contact with the public.
  • Practicing social distancing and other CDC-issued guidelines within your closed store.
  • Offering “no in-person contact” curbside delivery or home delivery. Customers pay over the phone or online and books are dropped off.
  • Researching best safety and public health practices in real time to ensure that you’re following the most current guidelines.
  • Running a skeleton crew with as few people as possible. (Just one person, the owner, is ideal. Some stores have reported that fewer than three is the magic number. Another bookseller mentioned that fewer than 10 was allowed by law.)
• Compare your store to other essential businesses:
  • Bookstores, like liquor stores, provide necessary escape and de-stressing during the crisis.
  • Bookstores offering curbside pickup or home delivery is no different than restaurants offering takeout.
  • Bookstores are shippers—shipping books out—and shippers are essential. Also, bookstores are essential as receivers of shipments from essential shippers.
• Requests have included permission to:
  • Occupy premises that are closed to the public for the purpose of receiving and shipping freight only.
  • Occupy premises that are closed to the public in order to process online and phone orders and provide curbside pickup.
  • Occupy premises to process orders and fulfill essential accounting and banking functions for your small business.

This additional information might also help you tailor your argument for your city or explore partnership opportunities with other businesses categorized as essential in your area.

Advocacy

Families First Paid Leave Exception

According to a ruling from the Department of Labor (DOL) related to the Families First Paid Leave requirements, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are exempt from providing expanded paid sick and family leave if an employee cannot work due to a lack of childcare (the business is still required to provide paid sick leave in other circumstances). A business is only eligible for this exemption if:

1. leave would cause the small employer’s expenses and financial obligations to exceed available business revenue and cause the small employer to cease operating at a minimal capacity;
2. the absence of the employee or employees requesting leave would pose a substantial risk to the financial health or operational capacity of the small employer because of their specialized skills, knowledge of the business, or responsibilities; or
3. the small employer cannot find enough other workers who are able, willing, and qualified, and who will be available at the time and place needed, to perform the labor or services the employee or employees requesting leave provide, and these labor or services are needed for the small employer to operate at a minimal capacity.

See the DOL’s FAQ sheet for more information. If you have any questions, reach out to the U.S. Department of Labor or call the office at 1-866-4-US-WAGE, or contact ABA’s advocacy team at [email protected].

Apply Now for COVID-19 Financial Assistance

• The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Grant offers an advance on the loan of up to $10,000. The advance does not need to be repaid. Apply for the EIDL and EIDL grant here.
• The Paycheck Protection Program provides loan forgiveness of up to eight weeks of payroll if funds are spent on eligible expenses and employee and salary levels are maintained. Find an eligible lender here.
• See here for more information on what assistance may be right for your business
• Check this out to easily understand available government relief: How to Proceed With Financial Assistance. Apply now before money runs out!

 Update$

• Binc’s Fund for Booksellers: In less than three weeks, Binc has received 939 donations and 508 applications. In the past two weeks, 171 booksellers have received $161k in assistance! Thank you to Binc for your support!
• #SaveIndieBookstores Fund for Bookstores: $527,000 has been raised to date to save independent bookstores! Applications open for bookstores on April 10. Help spread the word by promoting the campaign. Digital assets are available on the website.

And because I can’t help myself… “dessert” to offer after all that sustenance:

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only someone remembers to turn on the light.” —J.K. Rowling

And to all of you, the lightkeepers, thank you, as always. ABA is here for you. Please reach out if there is anything we can help with. We are an incredibly creative, resilient, supportive industry. We’ll get through this, together.

Best,
Allison