I was hoping that my first Independent Bookstore Day as an actual Independent Bookstore owner would be filled with tons of happy readers and me tiptoeing through Nowhere Bookshop, handing out stickers and recommending books and pouring drinks at the bar while Hailey does story time in the kids section while dressed in full Nimona regalia.
Instead today I’m home creating a display for the bookshop. We are open, but we’ve still never opened our doors. Our amazing book sellers still stock the shelves and answer the phones and recommend books and run outside in their masks to leave lovely bags of books on outdoor tables as curbside customers pull up. We ship books all over and make zoom meetings with authors and pick new and amazing books for the book club and then once a week we meet on zoom ourselves to celebrate the victories and talk about books and keep positive and excited.
We are so very lucky and grateful in that your support is keeping us running in spite of the pandemic. A lot of local bookstores are struggling. Some won’t come out of this and the book deserts may widen. So if you can today, find your local indie book shop and give them a little love. And if you can’t right now, that’s okay too. Maybe drop them a line telling them you care or send them an email thanking them for a book they recommended that you love. It makes a difference.
You can visit IndieBookstoreDay for lots of cool virtual events today, and if you’re looking for new book suggestions allow me be your virtual bookseller and recommend a few of my favorites.
Happy Independent Bookstore Day from everyone here at Nowhere…no matter how strange it may look this year.
Is that a mural on the wall of your bookstore? I absolutely love it.
Happy Independent Bookstore Day!
Sure wish I lived a little closer so that I could some to your grand opening when finally you are able to have people come in.
In the meantime I an so glad that you are able to be open and supported by people still buying books.
We all just gotta hang in there. This too will pass. some day.
Everything’s a little strange this year, isnt it? Oh, hell, that’s a massive understatement! I’m glad your shop is functioning at all and we, your #BloggessFam, can help support it and you. Personally, I only buy my books from you now and I live in Wisconsin so maybe I’m also helping the USPS stay afloat? Any roads, keep on keeping on, Jenny. We’ll always be here to support you!
I don’t know why but instead of Nowhere I see the name as Now Here !
As a former indie bookseller at the late Seattle Mystery Bookshop, this was one of our favorite days! Soon, you’ll get the in-person experience, Jenny, and it’ll be overwhelming in so many ways, but the outpouring of love and support makes it all worthwhile.
There are a few 9/1 releases that we want so my husband and I plan to order from you. He’s supposed to make me a list.
Hi Jenny, I’ve got a cheeky request. I’m teaching Library at a small school for gifted strangelings. One of the projects I’m working on to make things interesting while teaching library over zoom is getting the kids to think about how libraries and bookstores are organized. Did you do any posts about this? Or a walk through (that’s kid friendly)? If would you be up for a brief email interview, that would be great too. I’m a long term fan and totally understand if this isn’t something you’ve got the energy for.
There’s a reason that, “May you live in interesting times” is a curse.
I don’t actually have anything profound to say, just couldn’t resist leaving a reply so high up in the comment section as I’m more often your 147th visitor.
ILinda at #3–I LOVE that. (Jenny, this is gold. STEAL IT.)
Jenny the independent book store day isn’t working-it goes to a dead instagram. I think you wanted this
http://www.indiebookstoreday.com
Happy Indie Bookstore Day! INDIE ENTITIES ARE THE BEST!
Love the mural! And yes indeed… we just have to keep moving, if not forward, than simply moving in some way to show we’re still alive. We have to hold on.
And THANK YOU FOR THE BOOK! COVID has kind of shut down my ability to “buy things” so… to get a surprise lift really left a positive mark.
Thank you! And here is my shameless self-promotion… my blog’s message is to LAUGH, DANCE AND SEE THINGS THAT ARE THERE! 😂 Halloween approaches!
https://epileptaste.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/mental-health-requires-listening-to-bauhaus-in-my-creepy-basement-with-my-friend-chair/
We don’t have any independent bookshops in my town so I’m sending my love to you!!!
Husband is at work today so maybe I’ll play “independent bookshop” at home. Set all my books out, grab some snacks and a drink. I’ll peruse the selections and then hunker down in a chair while the bookshop cat tries to sit on the book I’m trying to read. Then I’ll hop online and order more books from Nowhere Bookshop because you can never have too many books. Congrats on the store!
P.S. As a nice way to say hi, I forwarded your email to MY local bookshop, Page 158 in Wake Forest, NC.
https://www.page158books.com/
Happy independent bookstore day.
I totally had a mental image of your lovely staff running out to cars in full costumes with masks like batman or koalas.
So glad that despite not being able to open properly yet, I know that when you do it will be awesome.
As I’ve been in lockdown since march due to auto immune illnesses I have totally relied on the internet to keep me furiously happy (which I’ve read as one of my lockdown reads).
To you and all small businesses/bookshops I thank you and also thank you for making me laugh out loud to the point of worrying my daughter.
A pandemic might have been a frustrating time to try and open a bookstore, but your book club picks have been a wonderful help to me trying to pass all this unexpected extra time during it. This might not be the way you thought you’d be running your business, but know that your customers appreciate all you do to work around things!
Love the mural! I’m not in the book club, but I immediately add the monthly books to my Goodreads list. The local libraries are doing a curbside service and it is amazing to have someone bring a bag of books to my car. https://possumscatsthingsgnawingatme.wordpress.com/2020/08/27/bed-hog/
Hi! We live nearly three hours from SA, so I celebrated Independent Bookstore Day by visiting both of our little indie stores in Victoria instead. Those would be Redbird Books and Texian Books. I’m looking forward very much to visiting YOUR store, too, once this virus is no longer a problem. Best of luck to you!
Every time I think of your shop, I get this in my head https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQiOA7euaYA
You may be too young to remember it. The video also makes me think of you.
Happy being an awesome independent bookshop day.
Happy Independent Bookshop Day! I am so glad that your store is up in running, even in this limited capacity. I hope that one day soon you can do what our stores are able to do here in my lovely corner of BC Canada. They are now able to open to the public while following specific health and safety guidelines. We may have to wait in line now to get into our favourite shopping places and restaurants, but it’s worth it.
I was thrilled to get my order from your shop this past week. I spent last night and today lost in The Water Dancers by Terry Gamble. What a remarkable novel. It never falls into cliches even as it addresses a well worn story. The characters are complex and growing, the setting interesting, the writing spare and lyrical. Loved it.
I love independent book stores. But I love used book stores even more! Nothing beats the smell of a well loved book with the tattered cover. Our local independent book stores and used book stores are doing curbside pick ups just like your new store. I ordered your new preorder through your store but right now money is a little tight. I used to work in a B&N and a college bookstore. Books help us to escape, to disappear, to survive, to grow, up learn, to find a friend, to make the world more bearable. Right now we all need books more than ever.
Happy Happy……Love, me
Happy IBS Day to you!
…wait, that sounds wrong. Is that a disease?
I’m SO glad that you are doing business as much as you can. I can’t wait to come visit you, and will, as soon as we can get back to the US safely. Probably in about 3 or 4 years. Stay safe!
Indie Bookshops are the best. They are warm, cozy and inviting. A strangling’s home away from home.
Wow. Thanks for staying open during this difficult time!!
Where are you going?
No Where.
Tell me when you get there.
Now Here.
What are you doing?
READING BOOKS!
Jenny-
Some of these podcasters interview authors and sell a lot of books afterward. They have links to A-zon using Chrome, I’m told, so the podcast gets a referral bonus. It’s a not insignificant amount of money. Does the A-site need indie bookseller money, or should local bookstores get it? I’ve written to Bookshop about this… the podcaster told me they need to be able to ship internationally. I think they need to bestir themselves. So does Emily Powell, in her blog on the Powell’s bookstore site. Please join Emily(and comedian/podcaster Mike Birbiglia) and fight for your due share, by doing order fulfillment for those podcasters.
After reading this post, I checked out Nimona, which I had never heard of. PERFECT for my son; he is loving every page. I hope you’ll consider creating a list or occasional post recommending books for kids. Strangeling kids love a good read, as well. 🙂