Dear Booksellers,

While you’re all focused on the newest challenges posed by COVID — new phases of opening, new operational “opportunities” — ABA is looking to fall and the 4th quarter with new education, IndieCommerce improvements, equity and inclusion initiatives, and other support. Stay tuned for details. In the meantime, we see you and we hope you see yourselves in the words of Albert Camus: “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.”

Today’s update is a roundup of new resources and relief, along with important announcements and event reminders:

Local Support

We’re seeing new local support for small businesses from chambers of commerce, cities, and states:

• New York City is offering small businesses free masks for employees.
• Montana has a coronavirus relief fund.
• Brooklyn’s Chamber of Commerce is offering reopening grants that cover deep cleaning costs, sneeze guards, hand sanitizer stations, and other tools for reopening.
• Check your city and state online, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s site, or your local city council or chamber of commerce office to see what new support may be available for your store.

Reopening

• Stores that are reopening will be navigating new waters when it comes to keeping staff and customers safe. The CDC has some new guidelines surrounding testing that may help.
• WorkJam and SmartBrief are hosting a 30-minute webinar titled “The ‘New Necessary’ for Managing Frontline Employees” on Tuesday, July 14, at 2:00 pm ET to address reopening issues related to staff, such as employee attraction/retention, employee financial stress, and the impact on customer experience.
• Korn Ferry offers some thoughts on shifting the conversation around requiring customers to wear masks from laws and government to health and safety to help some with potential resistance from customers.

Advocacy

• Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Application Deadline Now August 8: President Trump signed into law the PPP Extension Act, extending the deadline for PPP approval to August 8 (previously June 30). If you have not yet applied and are still interested, see the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) online tool to match businesses with small lenders. Learn more about PPP here.
• PPP Forgiveness Webinar Tomorrow, July 8: The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is hosting a free webinar on PPP forgiveness tomorrow, July 8, at 12:00 pm ET. What business expenses qualify for forgiveness? How do I apply for forgiveness? What will happen if the SBA declines my forgiveness application? What happens to loan proceeds that are not forgiven? Get your questions answered. Register here.

Announcements

• A reminder to nominate a bookseller for the First Annual BIPOC Bookseller Awards! Duende District & The Word have founded the first annual BIPOC Bookseller Awards to celebrate and uplift Black and Brown independent booksellers who have contributed activism, innovation, and leadership to indie bookstores and their Black, Indigenous, and POC colleagues and communities. Nominations are open until July 17!
• ABA and Binc are looking into potential funding options (microloans, impact investments) that could support potential and existing BIPOC-owned bookstores. We’ll be hosting a focus group with BIPOC booksellers and bookstore owners to hear about funding needs in the BIPOC community. To help us understand the specific challenges BIPOC booksellers and bookstore owners face, ABA is asking booksellers to join the focus group to share obstacles they have encountered in gaining funding or other thoughts about the types of funding needed in the BIPOC community. Email me for an invitation to the focus group.

Events

• Children’s Institute. Registration for Children’s Institute is closed. We look forward to seeing everyone on July 15–16 for the largest gathering of booksellers in ABA’s history of Children’s Institute! July 15 will be a full day of education, while July 16 is dedicated to learning about upcoming titles from booksellers’ favorite publishing reps. Don’t forget to come to the virtual hangout after Isaac Fitzgerald’s closing keynote address on July 15 — many special guests will be traveling between the hangout rooms.
• Anti-racist Training Cancellations: If you signed up for the White Anti-Racist Allyship workshop at Children’s Institute but are unable to attend, please notify ABA as soon as possible at [email protected] so we can open your spot to a bookseller on the waitlist.
• Technology Meetup: On July 9 at 1:00 p.m. ET, learn about cyber insurance. The team from Arrowhead General Insurance Agency will present information on cyber coverage and how this coverage can protect your bookstore. Registration is required.

ABA is here for all of you. Please reach out if there is anything we can help with. Members can contact me directly or email the Membership, Advocacy, or IndieCommerce teams.

Best,
Allison