As Ottawa’s stay-at-home order neared its end on Feb. 16, several bookstores are preparing to turn the page.
Black Squirrel Books & Espresso Bar, Octopus Books, and Books on Beechwood are a few among many local bookstores that are operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With non-essential businesses forced to close during lockdowns, bookstores are facing the risk of bankruptcy.
Steven Yong, owner of Black Squirrel, said his customers buy from his store after visiting out of sheer curiosity. He said it was the experience of walking into his store that drew them in.
“It’s not like a grocery store where you just go in there, pick up your stuff and go,” Yong said. “People go in there because they don’t know what [they’ll] find.”
Yong said that experience was lost when the stay-at-home order was put in place Dec. 26.
Black Squirrel managed to stay afloat by selling takeout coffee, textbook orders from Carleton University professors, and “surprise boxes”—bundles of five to 15 randomly assorted books sold at a discounted price.
“We’ll stick around for a while. We’re gonna make it, all thanks to the community and our students,” Yong said.
Other local bookstores, however, have been less fortunate.
Lisa Greaves, manager of Octopus Books, said her store has been badly hit by the loss of business caused by the pandemic. In March 2020, Octopus Books issued a plea to the community, saying the store was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Greaves said shifting the bookstore’s inventory online in March was their main challenge. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Octopus Books was not equipped to display its inventory online to facilitate distanced shopping.
She said her community’s commitment to buying local has helped the bookstore stay afloat, but adapting to the changes is still overwhelming.
“It’s a lot more work doing things online,” Greaves said. “We have to make sure that what’s on our shelf is what our community wants. [Before lockdown] our books used to be on the shelf, and [customers] could just browse through them.”
Octopus Books received few orders from university professors in January, at the start of the winter semester. Greaves said the store is still receiving customers, thanks to community support.
Hilary Porter, manager of Books on Beechwood, said that the store has been “fairly busy” with online orders and phone calls. Porter said she was able to keep all of her staff on payroll through the lockdown which began Dec. 26.
Porter said Books on Beechwood hasn’t gone through many changes due to the pandemic, but she mentioned she’s trying to generate a larger online presence through the store’s website and social media accounts.
“We always had an online store. It’s just that more people are using it now,” she said.
Despite the minimal changes, Porter said she is thankful for the local community’s support.
“[I’m very lucky to have them,” she said. “I’m looking forward to people being safe. I’m looking forward to the vaccinations rolling out so that everything goes back to normal.”
With the community’s help, Ottawa bookstores hope to live to tell the tale as safety restrictions ease. Meanwhile, bookstore owners are preparing to welcome their communities again.
“There’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” Yong said. “I look forward to welcoming our community back next week.”
An earlier version of this article reported the number of orders Octopus Books had received from profs in January as zero. The Charlatan regrets the error.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
