Congratulations to Where the Sidewalk Ends Bookstore, Chatham, Mass., which celebrated its 15th anniversary last week. In a Facebook post, Caitlin Doggart-Bernal, co-owner with Joanne Doggart, shared the story of the "bookstore of my dreams," writing, "In this time of closure, on the precipice of a summer like no other, it's nice to reflect that 15 years ago today, May 28th, 2005, we opened our doors for business!...
"Our 15th birthday brings new anxieties: for a summer without large-scale author events (which enable us to continue employing our staff year-round), for a Chatham Main Street without the number of tourists we need to sustain the seasonal economy, for the health of our friends and family and neighbors, staff, colleagues, authors, and customers, for the necessity to think quickly and creatively of contingency plans for many situations simultaneously. This spring has been HARD on small businesses.
"We have spent 15 years cultivating the magic of browsing bookshelves for the unexpected surprise. We have staked our livelihoods on the surety that booklovers enjoy browsing REAL books in a charming space, for the chance to overhear another reader or bookseller lighting up describing how much 'they LOVED that book!' and that children thrive on the community formed by a Story Time and author and illustrator visits, that it is worth it to pay the publisher's list price for a book in a real setting that supports the magic of browsing paper books and chatting with real people. As a result, this March, we had to pivot quickly to online sales and social media and leap into the digital fray while also protecting the continuation of our beautiful post-and-beam barn-styled bookstore with its true divided light windows, and cupola, and split staircase with stained glass overlooking the mezzanine on one side. We dearly want Where the Sidewalk Ends Bookstore to weather this current economic and health crisis in order to exist in the surety of the brighter days ahead.
"And so we continue into Summer 2020 filled with hope!... While we weren't able to celebrate our 15th year today the way we would have wanted to, we are warmed by the support of a community of talented authors and engaged readers near and far that has kept us in business for this long. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your continued support."