CHELSEA, Mich. (AP/WXYZ) — Residents of all ages in Chelsea formed a human chain and helped a local bookshop move each of its 9,100 books — one by one — to a new storefront about a block away Sunday.
The “book brigade,” as owner Michelle Tuplin calls it, had around 300 people participating. Two lines stood running along a sidewalk in downtown Chelsea, passing each title from Serendipity Books' former location directly to the correct shelves in the new building, down the block and around the corner on Main Street.
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“It was a practical way to move the books, but it also was a way for everybody to have a part,” Tuplin said. “As people passed the books along, they said ‘I have not read this’ and ‘that’s a good one.’”
Momentum had been building since Tuplin announced the move in January. But she only expected about a row of people to show up. She never expected the turn out that she saw.
“We know how important independent book stores are in a community and people mention that all the time, but to see that in action and to see people come out, it’s just amazing," she said. "So many people wanted to help."
Tuplin said the endeavor took just under two hours — much shorter than hiring a moving company to box and unbox the thousands of titles. The brigade even put the books back on the shelves in alphabetical order.
Now, Tuplin hopes to have the new location open within two weeks, just in time for Independent Bookstore Day on April 26.
About 5,300 people call Chelsea home and residents described it as a place where neighbors help neighbors.
“It's a small town and people just really look out for each other," said Kaci Friss, 32, who grew up in Chelsea and has worked at the bookstore for a little over a year. "Anywhere you go, you are going to run into someone you know or who knows you and is going to ask you about your day.”
Friss said Sunday's book brigade reminded her of “how special this community is.”
