Human chain to move over 9000 books to new store

WHEN 300 people formed a human chain to move thousands of books from one store to another, bookstore owner Michelle Tuplin could hardly believe her eyes.

- SYDNEY PAGE

“It was so moving,” said Tuplin, who has owned Serendipity Books in Chelsea, Michigan, since 2017.

After announcing she was moving her independent bookstore about a block away to a new location, her regular customers all had the same question: “How can I help?”

“Everybody wanted to know what they could do,” said Tuplin.

She came up with an idea to do a “book brigade,” where community members would form a line and pass books from the old store to the new store.

“I had seen something similar years ago, and it was definitely something I wanted to do,” Tuplin said.

She spread the word about her idea through posters and handouts, as well as on social media.

“We just asked and then we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best,” Tuplin said, adding that she didn’t make a sign-up sheet because she didn’t want people to feel pressured to attend if their plans changed.

She did not expect hundreds of people to show up on Sunday, ready to relocate more than 9000 books from the Middle Street store to the new shop on Main Street.

Although she was anticipating a decent turnout, “it was still a shock to see all of those supporters and people ready to help,” Tuplin said.