Welcome to another post in our series on how retailers are responding and adapting to measures put in place due to COVID-19. Today, we’re featuring our interview with Joy McLean from Café Books!
Café Books is an independent bookstore operating in Canmore, Alberta. They sell new, used, and antique books of all genres. The brick-and-mortar store is divided into two sections: the first, a retail space wholly dedicated to the sale of new books, and the second a cafe with cozy seating, tea and cupcakes for sale, and used books on display. The space is able to serve as both a destination to purchase new reading material, and to spend a cozy afternoon enjoying the company of other book lovers!
1. How have you adapted your business in response to COVID-19? Are there particular initiatives that you’d like to share?
Prior to the start of physical distancing, we had an online store that didn’t get a lot of traffic. When we closed the doors we used social media, a sign on the door, and the local newspaper to get the message out that we were doing online, phone, email and Facebook orders with free delivery to doorstep (and later curbside pick-up). We offered an extensive area of free delivery up to an hour away, and had an overwhelmingly positive response. Initially we were having issues with how to bring in books with the store closed. We worked with a small local family wholesaler who we knew had accounts with all the major publishers and were still in their office. We worked together to get special orders of books they don’t usually carry and thus kept us both afloat.
2. Will you continue with any of these initiatives or business practices when brick-and-mortar bookstores reopen to customers?
We are going to continue our free delivery service and encourage customers to use online ordering to browse and then pop in to pick up their books in-store.
3. Have you noticed a shift in book-buying habits amongst your customers?
We’ve found that online orders are up to be sure but once the store re-opened (it’s a small town so physical distancing measures were loosened more quickly than in other regions) the customers just enjoyed coming back in!
4. Have you experimented with new tools or technologies during COVID-19? Do you anticipate continuing to use these?
We were already using social media and other online tools to reach our customers, and will continue to do so.
5. What is your biggest takeaway from working as a bookseller while physical-distancing measures have been in place?
People can and do order online! Additionally, with the libraries closed our customer population turned to us and many expressed the desire to not lose the local bookstore.
BONUS: Are there indie booksellers or small publishers in Canada who are doing interesting stuff that you’d like to recognize?
Many of the publishers (such as Penguin Random House and HarperCollins) have been extremely supportive! Rocky Mountain Books has been very helpful with shipping costs. LBC, N49 and Raincoast were also a huge help. We’d also like to thank Alpine Book Peddlers for all their help with orders!
Looking to support independent retailers in your area? Rocky Mountain Books' publisher, Don Gorman, has created a map of indie booksellers across Canada who are currently offering delivery and / or curb-side pickup.
Got a story about how your organization has responded to COVID-19? We want to hear from you! Please fill out this short questionnaire.
The BISAC to Thema translator has been updated.