Books and Puzzles Beat Day Drinking. Let’s Raise a Glass to That.
By Laura Scott Schaefer
Scattered Books has been getting a lot of interesting requests since the pandemic began. We have morphed into a book (and advice) delivering machine. Need a birthday basket for a seven-year-old child who wants to be a speckled astronaut cat? No problem! How about a gift for your wife who likes “romance and stuff”? Yep, we got you. Desperate for a reading level “L” adventure book? A list is coming your way. Have a middle schooler who hates to read? We will deliver an emergency graphic novel right to your door before you are done with that second glass of wine.
Which brings me to the pandemic equivalent to crack. No, it’s not the day drinking. It’s puzzles. Frantic e-mail requests come in daily for this hot commodity, sometimes in the middle of the night. Or maybe people are just up at 2 a.m. fretting and it’s something to do. Hey, I am usually up too and totally get it. It’s actually almost 2 a.m. right now as I am here typing. As a result, I have become a stalker of my wholesalers and prepare elaborate snacks for the UPS drivers to ensure earlier delivery of boxes. I have paid part-time employees in toilet people for their work (nope, not kidding). It’s just a retail survival mode. Make it happen or it won’t.
I have honestly never worked so many hours in my life considering my store has been closed to customers for two months. Books, puzzles and similar boredom busters have become the new black of therapeutic activities. It just really pleases me that I can savor this brief period of time when local businesses can deliver faster than Amazon. Plus we wrap and have bookstore bunnies.
But really it’s all about coping isn’t it? Relief. Escape. Hope. Books just might help with each of these just a tiny bit better than day drinking but fortunately they are not mutually exclusive.
Laura Scott Schaefer is the owner of Scattered Books Bookstore in Chappaqua. Visit Scattered Books online at www.scatteredbooks.com or call 914-529-8013.
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