Storm Stories: Some Good, Some Bad

Last Thursday and Friday, the Pacific Northwest was hit with one of the worst wind and rainstorms in more than a decade. In Washington and Oregon, wind gusts of up to 113 mph wiped out power to more than a million homes and businesses, closed schools, and were responsible for more than 14 deaths. And while many area residents and business owners spent the week recovering, reports are that another strong storm is set to hit the region this Thursday.

A number of booksellers in the Seattle area who spoke to BTW said that they were very fortunate and had suffered little or no damage from last week's storm -- and many did not lose power for very long, if at all. Not surprisingly, though, more than a few noted that business was down on Thursday and Friday as the weather kept people away. For most -- but certainly not all -- the general consensus was that things could have been a lot worse.

About 12 miles north of Seattle, however, in Kirkland, Washington, Parkplace Books was not as lucky. The store experienced a "devastating flood," according to an e-mail from Larry West, the executive assistant of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association. "Overflowing storm drains drenched the bookstore and a dozen other businesses on Thursday, December 14, with over four inches of water filling the store, rushing in through doors and walls."

Because downtown Kirkland was without power for several days, West noted, it was "all but impossible to use pumps or dryers to save merchandise. Owners Mary Harris and Rebecca Willow are still assessing the damage; carpets have already been pulled up, but the walls must be dried out before fixtures can be replaced."

Parkplace made some sales on Saturday, but Harris described customers "sloshing about in the dark." By Monday, the store had power and phones and computers were back in operation.

West noted that sales reps who wished to donate books to replace Parkplace's lost inventory could bring or ship to the bookstore as traffic in the area returned to normal at the beginning of the week.

For The Traveler bookstore on Bainbridge Island, Washington, the storm brought about an atmosphere of Christmas Past.

"We did business by candlelight," said Traveler co-owner Barbara Tolliver, who reported that the store was without power on Friday and Saturday, both critical shopping days. Though the store did not close up, it did have to shorten its hours to take advantage of sunlight. "We opened at 11:00 a.m. and closed at 4:00 p.m.," Tolliver said. "We had candles at the desk and provided flashlights that people could take around the store."

The Traveler did about a quarter of its usual business, but, she added, subsequent days have been excellent. With no computers, staff recorded sales by hand and made use of its old credit card slide and a calculator.

Though the situation was anything but optimum, one positive, Tolliver acknowledged, was that the storm brought out a sense of community. "People were delighted to find us open," she explained. "People were swapping storm stories, and I think they realized businesses were hard hit. The grocery store had its generator going and was providing free coffee and sandwiches."

For the Secret Garden in central Seattle, the storm also had some positive effects, said owner Christine McDanold. "We had power throughout and while it was much slower on Thursday, on Friday they closed the schools, so it was a huge day, because we were one place that was open. It was a bonus free day for families." Having power through the storm was ironic, she said, because the store is housed in an old building with old transformers, and it is subject to brownouts.

Secret Garden did not suffer damage, but it was close. "We share the awning with the neighboring business and their portion got shredded," McDanold said. "I think [the storm damage] was much worse in the suburbs."

King's Books, Inc. in Tacoma, Washington, wasn't "terribly affected by the storm," reported Sweet Pea Flaherty. The wind and rain hit the area at about 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, but King's Books never lost power. "There are tons of downed trees, and even just five blocks away a large tree took out the power lines," he added. "There was very severe wind and an insane rain." Business on Thursday "dropped off" and Friday was not good, either, he said. --David Grogan