The well-known store in the heart of downtown, BookPeople of Moscow, has started to prepare for the holiday season sooner than usual. Normally, the store waits to put out Christmas gifts, but this year, it is happening as soon as October.
“This year, because of the pandemic, ‘October is the new December,’” Carol Price, owner and manager of BookPeople of Moscow, said.
As we approach festive seasons and the Moscow Farmers Market retreats, BookPeople still plans to be busy on weekends. Without the “jam-packed holiday rush in December,” the shop prepares for an uptick in purchases. They encourage everyone to start holiday shopping early because shipping orders take longer, and watch their website for new, incoming book series.
Without football games and other university activities, they have been steadily busy, Price said. Patrons have turned to shop on their website, and even though foot traffic is down, online orders have helped support their business.
BookPeople is doing well, thanks to consistent love and support from dedicated customers, Price said. They have gained new patrons in the spring, who have de-prioritized Amazon’s book orders and re-prioritized the local business. Price says with less opportunity to travel and go out, readers have time to read more, which has been great for business.
The shop offers patrons the option to pick up orders at their store or be delivered. A lot of the time, they deliver books by bike, Price said. They deliver to Moscow, Pullman and the Palouse once a week. Thanks to the city providing 10-minute pickup parking spaces in front of the store, it makes for quick and easy pickup.
BookPeople is open for business, safe to be in and has strict safety protocols. The shop requires patrons to wear masks and social distance while in the store. They have hand sanitizer available, plexiglass in front of the cashier station and red-velvet ropes and stanchions to make social distancing easy for customers. Patrons have been compliant with these safety protocols, but a couple of people have resisted their policies.
“Our policies are clear, and no one has been inclined to try to argue,” Price said. “I’m not sure if we’re just lucky, or if we just have a look in our eyes that says, ‘we mean business.’”
Cancelation of the Moscow Farmers Market on Sept. 26 affected their business in a couple of ways. Plenty of people from out of town came expecting to see the market but were surprised to discover it wasn’t happening. When the shop unlocked their front doors at 10 a.m., folks were happy to come in and shop.
“Our regular Moscow customers mostly stayed away, although there were a few intrepid souls whose reaction was defiance, like, ‘We’re not going to let these protesters take away my freedom to come downtown and shop on Saturday morning like I always do,’ (which) was heartwarming,” Price said.
Local author Kim Barnes also set up a Facebook campaign that helped marketing online sales.
While the staff was nervous during the protest, Price kept an eye out for trouble, which was dispiriting.
“On top of the pandemic level of stress and tiredness, we have to deal with this too?” Price said. “It felt so unfair. My staff are such troopers. I can’t believe they had to wake up on Saturday morning worried about whether they were going to be safe at work.”
Hopeful that in-person events will be an option soon, BookPeople will be hosting events on Zoom which can be accessed on their webpage www.bookpeopleofmoscow.com.
While the upcoming election is approaching soon, BookPeople encourages everyone over the age of 18 to vote.
Emily Pearce can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.