Booksellers Recover From Weekend Blizzard

Last Friday, the Northeast was hit by a snowstorm that forced many bookstores to close their doors on Saturday — typically the strongest day of the week for sales. Connecticut, Maine, and Massachusetts were hit the hardest, with accumulations of up to 40 inches of snow in some areas.

Longfellow Books [1] in Portland, Maine, sustained serious water damage after a frozen water line burst, reported the Portland Press Herald [2]. Firemen worked quickly to cover and carry out the store’s stock. “There were maybe 20 [firefighters], and they were amazing,” Longfellow co-owner Chris Bowe told the paper. “Instead of standing around and letting the water fall, they were carrying books to safety. ... I couldn’t believe how fast they worked to save the books. They saved an enormous amount of stock.” Despite their efforts, the store’s owners estimated that they lost 30 to 40 percent of their inventory.

Longfellow took to Facebook, posting an announcement that the store would be closed until further notice. The community of writers, publishers, and customers responded emphatically, asking how they could help, with discussions of fundraising and a cash mob planned upon the store’s reopening.

WCSH 6 News posted a video [3]that documented the community response, and Longfellow’s plans to have a soft reopening today, February 14.

Longfellow Books owners Stuart Gersen and Chris Bowe present "Great Flood" gift certificates to their customers via Facebook.

The owners printed special “Great Flood of 2013” gift certificates for customers to order while the store was closed. “We are humbled by the outpouring of support from this incredible community,” the Longfellow Books posted on Facebook. “Once again it has been proven, this is the best place to be an independent bookstore and fight the fight to survive.”

Many other bookstores in the region had to close early on Friday, and while they did not suffer physical damage to the store or inventory, they lost a full Saturday of sales and events.

Monte Cristo Bookshop's snow-covered storefront

Monte Cristo Bookshop [4]in New London, Connecticut, which had to reschedule two events, relied on Facebook to draw customers in on Sunday. Despite the citywide parking ban, the bookstore has its own parking lot, which allowed it to reopen. Though Saturday’s closure resulted in a significant loss for the four-month-old store, “morale is good,” said owner Chris Jones, “because we have high expectations for the coming weekend.”

In Rockland, Maine, there was a 48-hour parking ban in the city, which influenced the decision of Hello Hello Books [5] to close, said owner Lacy Simons. “It was definitely a loss, sales-wise,” she said. “But at least it was in February and not in July.” Similarly, since Boston’s public transportation was shut down, Harvard Book Store [4]remained closed all day Saturday and shortened its hours on Sunday. The store also had to reschedule two weekend author events that were expected to draw a crowd. On a positive note, the store bounced back quickly. “Despite the shortened hours, business was very good on Sunday,” said owner Jeff Mayersohn, adding that it was comparable to last year’s sales on that day.

“It’s been hard to steer strollers through the snow, and that’s kind of our market,” said Adam Hirsh, owner of The World’s Only Curious George Store [6] in Cambridge, which also closed on Saturday.

“It was a hit – there’s no way around it,” he added, “but we’re doing fine. People who did venture out on Sunday were really glad we were open, and we were glad to be there.”

On New York’s Long Island, which got 24 inches of snow, Jack McKeown, the owner of Books & Books [7]in Westhampton Beach, said that he was happy to report that the store was back open at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. “We were able to salvage some part of the weekend,” he added. “At that point, people were suffering severe cabin fever, so we gave them the opportunity to get out and shop a little bit.

“We never lost power, which was a huge advantage for us,” McKeown said, noting that the store had lost seven days of sales activity in the fall following Hurricane Sandy. “It was nothing like that, and I think the state of preparedness in this area has become better for dealing with things like this.”

At Long Island’s Book Revue [4]in Huntington, however, there were still no phone service and no credit card machines on Wednesday, Newsday [8]reported. Store co-owner Richard Klein told the newspaper that he was not sure when service would be restored, but store staff was communicating with customers through e-mail and Facebook and they were recording customers’ credit card numbers to be input as soon as service returns to the store.

Also over the weekend, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, was struck by a tornado, causing major damage and several injuries. No deaths were reported.

Main Street Books [9] lies just outside of Hattiesburg’s downtown area, so it escaped the tornado’s path, said co-owner Diane Shephard. The store was closed until Tuesday.