Photo courtesy of Boswell Books
Reading might be a good alternative to binge-watching on Amazon Prime as we try to stay alert and keep ourselves sane in the midst of an ongoing the crisis—the likes of which might have come from a dystopian novel or a Stephen King story.
Boswell Books has responded to the closure of “non-essential” businesses with some innovative practices. According to their website, they are offering free delivery (possibly by a “Boswellian”) on purchases of $15 or more to Wisconsin addresses. More interesting still:
“No-contact sidewalk pickup is available, though if you are showing signs of illness, this option is not for you. Click here for our sidewalk pickup instructional video. We have increased our number of Boswell Best titles, and personal shopping services and book recommendations are available by phone at (414) 332-1181 or email between 10 am and 5 pm Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.”
All purchases must be paid for by credit or debit card before pickup.
Reading through the Crisis
How to be a bookseller in the midst of a pandemic has been foremost to Boswell’s founder, Daniel Goldin.
“We actually had a philosophical discussion about whether we should do carry out. Are we forcing folks out of their homes who would otherwise stay inside?” Goldin says. “We’ve limited our hours to that of Sendiks and CVS on the block so that someone could do several errands at once. And at least for some people who are being encouraged to exercise, walking back and forth from the bookstore is a goal.
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“The other thing I’ve noticed is that streets in this neighborhood are less busy than the lake. You’re unlikely to challenge social distancing guidelines.”
Boswell is carefully following Gov. Evers’ mandate. “We’ve changed our [initial] policy from curbside pickup to sidewalk pickup,” Goldin explains. “We’ll no longer bring books out to people's cars. Instead, they call us, we leave their package on a flat cart outside, and then they pick it up from the other side of the cart.
“Similarly, we’ve figured what is and isn’t possible for delivery. We’re delivering based on how close the order is to the store and how many packages we get for an area. If we don’t think we can get somewhere in a reasonable time, we convert it to media mail delivery.”
Patience is a Virtue
Goldin adds: “If your grandparent said to you, ‘Patience is a virtue,’ now is the time to heed that advice. Everything we’re doing is backed up, from taking orders to making deliveries. I’m guessing delivery services are also backed up, as is our warehouse fulfillment service.
Lately it seems you can only guarantee a policy for 24 hours. It's possible that we’ll not be doing some of these things in a few days.”
Final thoughts about the importance of books at a time like this? “There are so many reasons why books are important, but right now, books are a surefire way to keep people home and in their own space. They are social distancing machines.”
