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LONDON – The bookstore of a port city in southern England made an appeal a few weeks ago: "Want to give a hand?
Volunteers were needed to perform "hard manual work" in teams. It was "essential" to be able to lift and carry boxes and office supplies.
Among the supplies: thousands and thousands of books.
The Call of October Books, a "radical" bookstore created 40 years ago, was launched following a rent increase that forced her to leave her former home in Southampton, Jess Haynes , a member of the collective and one of the few paid employees, said Wednesday.
The store was looking to move lock, stock and barrel about 150 meters into a three-storey building that once housed a bank. Could someone answer the call for help?
Last Sunday, the bookstore received more than a hand, she received hundreds.
A human chain began to form from the former October Books storage room, passing 54 doors to the new building.
The store stopped counting after about 250 people, Ms. Haynes said by phone.
Hand in hand, the chain of people has spent thousands of pounds in a few hours.
"It was very emotional," said Haynes, adding that the employees were "all shocked" by the way community members jumped to help.
After all, it was the local community that came to the aid of the bookstore more than once before – even when, after 15 years, she had to move because the rent had gone up. The store is located in a former bank building the street.
Instead of taking out a mortgage loan, Haynes said, "October Books" boldly launched a fundraiser to buy her new home. 510,000 pounds, or about $ 650,000, as of May 31st.
The move paid off and the store made arrangements to receive donations and loans from the community, agreeing to repay the donations in one, five or ten years, Haynes said.
At a time when independent bookstores are disappearing, she said, "We believe in the value of bookstores."
Last year, the Booksellers Association noted that the number of independent bookstores in Britain had declined for the eleventh consecutive year. In 2005, there were 1,535 independent stores, but by 2017 that number had dropped to 867.
The association cited "a cocktail of pressure" for closures, including rising rents, competition from ebooks and online sellers, as well as the growing popularity of other entertainment platforms such as Netflix and games.
October Books was initially a small boutique of feminist literature, L.G.B.T., socialist and Green Party, she said. It then spread to fiction, children's literature and books on organic food and fair trade. Today, he has five paid staff, a social media guru, and part-time volunteers.
The store wanted Sunday's move to be a special event.
"We wanted something that would be accessible to the whole family, to children and to older people who would not necessarily be able to paint or move heavy parts, to help," said Ms. Haynes.
"It was a nice way to include everyone and involve the whole community. We have a lot of goodwill in our community. "
The store plans to sell the second floor of the old bank to a Southampton charity to create supervised housing for the homeless and to create a community center at the back, she said. declared. As a nonprofit, any income would be reinvested in the business.
Ms. Haynes stated that the bookstore was still in motion. The opening day is scheduled for Saturday.
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