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Tacoma’s independent bookstores buck trend during pandemic. Curbside pickup available
Tacoma-based King’s Books and Tacoma Book Center hope a recent switch to curbside pickup will continue to allow them to thrive during the coronavirus pandemic.
King’s Books owner sweet pea Flaherty spoke to The News Tribune in a phone interview about how business is doing well and how the store hasn’t seen a decline despite what the New York Times reports as a decline in book purchases nationwide, with data showing “total U.S. sales in March ... down 8.4 percent.”
“That is not the case for us,” Flaherty said. “Tacoma has been really supportive. We’ve had increased sales that just keep on ramping up so that we can hardly keep up.”
The increase necessitated bringing back laid-off staff to assist in operations.
“Basically there were four people that I had to temporarily let go when this was all going down, and so we were able to hire them back,” Flaherty said.
King’s Books was able to offer curbside pickup following recent orders by Gov. Jay Inslee.
“It was more of a convenience for the customer,” Flaherty said.
Pickup will be available from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and can be ordered through the shop’s website by selecting curbside pickup.
No word yet when the brick-and-mortar shop can reopen.
“It’s unclear. We’ve been thinking a lot about what that would look like and haven’t come to any exact solutions yet,” Flaherty said. “I think that we would not be able to open until Phase 3, as I understand it. It’s not something that is going to happen super quickly.”
Additional measures would likely have to be taken to ensure book lovers can shop safely.
“When it does, there will probably be limited people in the store at a time, and masks are required for customers,” Flaherty said. “Gloves if you pet the cat. Important things like that.”
The Tacoma Book Center, the self proclaimed largest used bookstore in Tacoma, also has been filling orders and keeping up operations.
Trisha Hunter, store clerk, said in an email to The News Tribune she is one of two employees who have been at the store “each day filling the internet orders” and are “doing well.”
The store also is offering pickup, though in select hours.
“We are doing pickup in the evenings, usually after 5 p.m.,” Hunter said. “People can email us, and we’ll do our best to get back to them ASAP and set up a time for them to come in and pick up their books.”
The email to contact the store is tacbook@harbornet.com and will be the primary way to purchase books until the shop reopens to the public.
“We’re discussing options on how to open for browsing and keep everyone safe,” Hunter said.
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