US Town Bookstore Moves, Residents Form Human Chain to Move 9100 Books

In a small community in Chelsea, Michigan, USA, a heartwarming scene unfolded recently as hundreds of people formed a human chain to relay 9,100 books from an old bookstore location to a new one.

According to the report by the Associated Press, the bookstore named “Serendipity Books” opened a new storefront on Main Street, about a block away from its old location, requiring the books to be transported.

On April 13th, approximately 300 people in the community lined the sidewalks in two rows, passing each of the 9,100 books from the bookstore to the shelves of the new location.

The store owner, Michelle Tuplin, expressed that this was both a practical way to move the books and a way to involve everyone in the process. As people passed the books along, they would take a moment to look at the book they were holding, sometimes even commenting on them.

Tuplin had announced the relocation of the store back in January, gathering momentum within the community and attracting many participants to the event.

She mentioned to the press on April 15th that the news had spread widely within the local area, prompting many to volunteer to help with the book relay.

The residents of the community managed to transport all the books in less than two hours, faster than hiring a moving company. They even took the extra step to arrange the books alphabetically on the shelves of the new location.

Tuplin hopes to have the new store open within two weeks.

Events like these where communities come together to assist in relocating bookstores have also taken place elsewhere, like in Southampton, England in October 2018.

According to the BBC report, a community-run bookstore in the area required assistance in moving books to a new location. Around 250 people lined the sidewalks in a 150-meter human chain to transport approximately 2,000 books to the new store.

One volunteer at the bookstore, Clare Diaper, described the scene of community members providing assistance as “emotionally moving.”

Diaper expressed, “Thinking about all those who have supported us up to now really gets to me.”

She mentioned that those offering assistance included local café owners, store employees, passersby, and even people waiting at the bus stop.

A part-time employee at the bookstore, Amy Brown, told NPR that they had expected about 100 volunteers but were surprised by over 200 people showing up, including elders and children.

Established in 1977, the bookstore faced challenges in affording the rent at the old location, leading to a successful fundraising campaign in the summer of that year to purchase a new storefront in an older building, with the generous contributions of many community members.

Brown was moved by this support, stating, “Seeing people generously giving to help out is truly surprising and heartwarming, a very touching experience. They wanted to do something bigger together.”