Jules Button of Woodbridge Emporium bookshop
- Credit: Charlotte Bond/Archant
Did you count down the days until you could go back to a real-life bookshop?
As independent bookshops in Suffolk and Essex reopen their doors following easing of lockdown restrictions, shop staff have been overwhelmed with the welcome from their regular customers.
But some are worried about whether the support will continue once the initial enthusiasm wears off - and are calling for people to use their local bookshops regularly, rather than buying from Amazon.
Jules Button, outside Woodbridge Emporium bookshop
- Credit: Charlotte Bond/Archant
So important to support high street
Independent book shops in Suffolk ipswichstar.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ipswichstar.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
When the state of Oregon issued its shutdown orders in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott Givens was forced to make some very difficult decisions very quickly.
Givens owns Browsers Bookstore, which has locations in both Albany and Corvallis, and he has longtime employees at both stores.
âIn March, when everything shut down, I laid everyone off. I had to. It was terrible, one of the worst days of my life,â Givens said.
Nearly a year later, the situation has slowly improved. Givens has been able to bring employees back to work and his staffing levels are nearly back at their pre-pandemic levels. The entire experience, as painful as it has been, has shown the deep bond between local bookstores and their communities and created some new opportunities.
Bookshop Britain: the best places to find a new read spectator.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from spectator.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.