'No notice, no proper details': the little bookshop fearing a second lockdown
As one independent bookseller explains, November's closure threatens to be a confusing, onerous mess – just when public confidence was back
By Marianka Swain 3 November 2020 • 5:12pm
Jonathan Main and Justine Crow with the American writer Elizabeth Strout and the shop's writer in residence Karen McLeod Credit: Jonathan Main
"We feared a second lockdown might happen, but we wanted it earlier," says Jonathan Main, owner of independent Bookseller Crow on the Hill in London's Crystal Palace. "Locking down again during our second-busiest sales month of the year? Bad news."
And if lockdown extends into their busiest month, December – nearly twice as big, he reckons, as November – thus further affecting Christmas shopping? "Very bad news."
Bookseller Crow, run by Main and his partner Justine Crow – the shop is named for her, as well as for Crystal Palace Park's distinctive resident birds – has been a neighbourhood staple for more than 23 years. But weathering two lockdowns is a tough ask.
"No one was prepared for the first one," recalls Main. "Finding stock was a nightmare. Lots of big publishers shut down – we simply couldn't get books from them." At least "we know more about what to expect this time," he adds. But if the second lockdown carries on past early December, "we can't predict how it'll affect the whole industry. We're reliant on that supply chain."
Many summer publications were postponed, creating a pile-up of new releases in September. Main, whose shop curates a thoughtful selection, not just big blockbusters, says there was at least one benefit: "Some interesting titles got more prominence during lockdown than they otherwise would have done. But an awful lot of books were delayed, or had smaller print runs, so everything went out of stock really quickly. That was very frustrating."
This situation "puts an enormous amount of pressure on everyone: printers can only produce so many books at once, and publishers have to make a tough call. If we end up locked down until spring 2021, should they wait, or take the plunge for Christmas?" The festive season is normally a boom time for Crow on the Hill, but it hasn't exactly been business as usual.
With social distancing, "we can really only accommodate four customers at a time, so we have a one-in, one-out system," says Main. That means much less browsing or chatting time – fundamental to an independent shop like this, with its passionate and knowledgeable staff. It's also restricting sales, "right when people are buying Christmas gifts," observes Main, "plus diaries and calendars for next year". Their popular children's section "feels strange, since we can't have lots of children in together. Normally, customers like just being here – it's not about quick purchases."
Calendars, diaries and notecards now in stock.
A post shared by Jonathan Main (@booksellercrow) on Oct 22, 2020 at 4:14am PDT
Crow on the Hill recently renovated to add a dedicated events space, "since our author readings and signings had become so popular, and we wanted to accommodate more people". Of course, that's been scuppered by the restrictions. Now, it's a filming space for the online 'Talks from An Empty Bookshop' series, while their three book clubs have migrated to WhatsApp and Zoom. But instead of being able to work towards reuniting readers and authors, this second lockdown has, in Main's words, "pulled the rug out from under us".
And he's not impressed by the Government's muddled communication. "They made this latest announcement with no notice and no proper details, like what's considered an 'essential' shop and what isn't. Our industry body, the Booksellers Association, has found it difficult to get clear advice." Government job-support schemes don't help a small business like this, with its two full-time and two part-time workers. "Last lockdown, I just paid our staff myself," Main says.
Yet customers actually want to buy books more than ever. "When we came out of the first lockdown, we had an even bigger footfall than before. And since the second lockdown was announced, people have been flooding in." During lockdown, purchasers can instead use the shop's click-and-collect service, or place orders via their website, email and social media. Main hopes to do local deliveries, and is even wrapping presents. Move over, Santa.
"Customers have been hugely supportive," says Main. "Lots of London districts like to style themselves as villages – Crystal Palace really is one." That's not surprising, since Crow on the Hill has played a key role in this area's regeneration. But what happens if we keep locking down? "It's really tough for high-street traders. We're not in the same position as Amazon."
However, books are vital for mental health and expanding our horizons, believes Main. "They're also a great conversation starter. You can read the same book with friends and chat about it, even when you're in isolation. Books connect us."
Has Main noticed any new buying trends in 2020? "Cookbooks! Particularly vegan. And dystopian novels, such as Emily St John Mandel's Station Eleven." Mandel's latest, The Glass Hotel, is another good lockdown read, he suggests, along with John Cooper Clarke's I Wanna Be Yours, Kevin Barry's That Old Country Music, Jenny Landreth's Break a Leg, and Clare Chambers's Small Pleasures. The latter "should be on every Christmas list".
Of course, our Prime Minister is also an author. Does Main stock Boris? "Funnily enough, we never have."
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