While Hurricane Wilma was less destructive than Katrina two months ago,
it has knocked out power in a huge section of south Florida and
resulted in short gasoline supplies. Many areas continue to have
curfews, and electricity
may not be restored in many towns for weeks.
Bookstores apparently have survived with minimal damage, but those in the path of the storm were closed for several days. In Key West, for example, the Key West Island Bookstore shut its doors for three days but opened yesterday morning. "The hurricane didn't have much of an effect," one employee told Shelf Awareness. "Some places closer to the water had damage from the storm surge." He added that the first day open was "slow businesswise. There aren't many tourists."
The Classic Bookshop in Palm Beach lost an awning and the building has only partial power, but it reopened Wednesday, according to owner Jeff Jacobus. "Some of our lights are working, and some aren't," he told Shelf Awareness. "We have no air conditioning. The front door is open." The store is closing around 5 p.m. each day to give employees time to get home before 7 p.m., when the nightly curfew starts.
While Wilma "turned business upside down," Jacobus said, "all in all, it's a minor inconvenience. It's good character building."
The Vero Beach Book Center in Vero Beach "came through fine," according to manger Sheila Grange. The store closed only Monday although "it was kind of quiet leading up to it and the day or two afterwards." While the store is "pretty much back to normal," losing power only until Tuesday morning, many customers still do not have power back. As a result, the store is selling "a lot of book lights."
Books & Books's Miami Beach store was back in business Wednesday, but its other three stores--in Coral Gables, Bal Harbour and Levenger--were just getting power yesterday, owner Mitch Kaplan said in an e-mail. He has no power at home, and school is closed (which his children don't mind). The latest estimate is for power at his house to be restored by November 19.
Scheduled for November 13-20, the Miami Book Fair International is still on schedule although "there are some logistic issues since the college is closed this week," Kaplan added. "I'm certain they'll be resolved, and the fair will go off without a hitch."
For more reporting on the hurricane, see Bookselling This Week.
Bookstores apparently have survived with minimal damage, but those in the path of the storm were closed for several days. In Key West, for example, the Key West Island Bookstore shut its doors for three days but opened yesterday morning. "The hurricane didn't have much of an effect," one employee told Shelf Awareness. "Some places closer to the water had damage from the storm surge." He added that the first day open was "slow businesswise. There aren't many tourists."
The Classic Bookshop in Palm Beach lost an awning and the building has only partial power, but it reopened Wednesday, according to owner Jeff Jacobus. "Some of our lights are working, and some aren't," he told Shelf Awareness. "We have no air conditioning. The front door is open." The store is closing around 5 p.m. each day to give employees time to get home before 7 p.m., when the nightly curfew starts.
While Wilma "turned business upside down," Jacobus said, "all in all, it's a minor inconvenience. It's good character building."
The Vero Beach Book Center in Vero Beach "came through fine," according to manger Sheila Grange. The store closed only Monday although "it was kind of quiet leading up to it and the day or two afterwards." While the store is "pretty much back to normal," losing power only until Tuesday morning, many customers still do not have power back. As a result, the store is selling "a lot of book lights."
Books & Books's Miami Beach store was back in business Wednesday, but its other three stores--in Coral Gables, Bal Harbour and Levenger--were just getting power yesterday, owner Mitch Kaplan said in an e-mail. He has no power at home, and school is closed (which his children don't mind). The latest estimate is for power at his house to be restored by November 19.
Scheduled for November 13-20, the Miami Book Fair International is still on schedule although "there are some logistic issues since the college is closed this week," Kaplan added. "I'm certain they'll be resolved, and the fair will go off without a hitch."
For more reporting on the hurricane, see Bookselling This Week.