Chelsea, Michigan (AP) – Residents of all ages from a small community in Michigan have formed a human chain and helped a local bookstore to move each of its 9,100 pounds – one by one – to a new showcase to a pâté of houses.
The “books brigade” of around 300 people was held in two lines that along a sidewalk in downtown Chelsea on Sunday, passing each title from the old location of Serendipity Books directly to the good shelves in the new building, at the bottom of the block and at the corner of the main street.
“It was a practical way to move books, but it was also a way for everyone to have a room,” said Michelle Tuplin, owner of the store. “While people passed the books, they said” I did not read this “and” it's good. “”
The momentum was built since Tuplin announced the move in January.
“It has become so buzzing in town. So many people wanted to help, “she said on Tuesday.
Tuplin said the Endeavor had taken a little less than two hours – much shorter than hiring a moving company in the box and getting rid of thousands of titles. The brigade even put the books on the shelves in alphabetical order.
Now Tuplin hopes that the new location opens within two weeks.
The bookstore is in Chelsea, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) west of Detroit, since 1997. Tuplin has been the owner since 2017 and has three part -time employees.
About 5,300 people call Chelsea at home and residents described it as a place where neighbors help the neighbors.
“It's a small town and people really turn each other,” said Kaci Friss, 32, who grew up in Chelsea and worked at the bookstore for a little over a year. “Wherever you go, you will meet someone you know or who knows you, and will ask you about your day.”
Friss said that the Sunday Book Brigade reminded him of “how special this community is”.
