An Open Letter to those who love Portland's small businesses

This is an open letter to anyone who loves Portland, Maine, and all its small businesses.  I have been thinking about writing this letter for months now, and finally feel like I have a moment to sit down and write out my thoughts.

Many of us love Portland in large part because of its creative and vital small businesses.  In conversations with customers since reopening my bookshop in mid-July, I have come to the realization that many folks, sequestered at home, remain unaware of the widespread changes in Portland's small business landscape brought on by this year's struggle with Covid and all its attendant threats.  

These small businesses, which form the backbone of Portland, and make it a stand-out community, have in most cases had a terrible year.  Many of us found ourselves considering whether we could or should keep our businesses functioning through Covid.  Some of our peers closed down for good.  Others are maintaining a modified version of their businesses, eking out a shoestring existence, trying to hang in there in spite of reduced means.  Some of us have been lucky enough to have assistance from kind customers, or government crisis loans.

I urge you to take a moment to think about the small businesses in Portland that you love.  Maybe it's your favorite Thai noodle place.  Maybe it's one of Portland's fabulously eclectic shops which stocks a wild mix of vintage items alongside their own handmade goods.  Or perhaps it's just the corner shop which makes your ideal egg sandwich. 

Whatever places you love, remember they have had to continue paying their bills all those long, bleak months.  Since March, owners have lost sleep, wondering if their business would survive, or whether it was worth it to put their lives and the lives of their employees on the line to make that happen.  We continue to worry over these harrowing questions every day, and over whether we are able to maintain a safe and reasonably risk-free way for our customers to shop.

More small businesses won't survive this winter, having barely survived 2020, the Year of Despair.

So if there are local places and unique creators that you love, think about them as you make your purchases, for both daily and special occasion needs.  

 

Your purchases make a big difference when you choose to buy local.  You help steer the course between life and death for Portland's small businesses, a large part of Portland's creative character.  You can help ensure some of Portland's heart and soul remains alive and beating to push through these next difficult months, and we promise to continue doing our best to help create a community we can all be proud of living in.

Thank you Portland!  Thank you Maine!

 

The Green Hand is currently open limited hours for browsing, 12:00-4:00 Weds-Sat.  For those at home or away, we offer easy pickup at the door, or mail order to your doorstep.

 

Be well and stay safe,

Michelle Souliere

The Green Hand Bookshop
661 Congress St
Portland, ME 04101
https://www.greenhandbookshop.com
https://www.facebook.com/greenhandbooks/
https://www.instagram.com/greenhandbooks/

Help us out by ordering new books here instead of through Amazon: https://bookshop.org/shop/greenhandbooks

Help us out by getting your audiobooks here instead of through Amazon-owned Audible: https://libro.fm/greenhandbooks

Another way to help

 Another helping program we've been able to add (thanks to generous patron assistance) is a storefront on Bookshop.org!

https://bookshop.org/shop/greenhandbooks

If you enter Bookshop.org via the above link, your purchases anywhere on the site, whether from our recommendation lists or not, will benefit us substantially.  I'm not kidding -- they really do send us a generous portion of their proceeds from these purchases.  It's a great way to route money out of the hands of Amazon and into the local economy, all at the same time.

This new addition lets you buy new books from us that we don't have in stock, and sends them directly to your doorstep.  Safe and easy!

 I'll be adding more recommended reading in coming weeks if you're looking for ideas as to what to read next.  

Thank you everyone for your support!  We wouldn't be here without you all taking the time to help out in little ways like this.

If you like to listen to your books... read on!

 Hi everyone! This is a note to say that if you want to support the shop, but are more likely to listen to audiobooks these days, you can still help out!

We are now signed up with Libro.fm, and when you buy from or subscribe to their audiobook library via their Green Hand Bookshop page, we will receive a portion of the proceeds.   This is also a great way to move away from using Amazon-owned companies such as Audible.

Thank you in advance for your support! And... happy reading, however you enjoy your books!

https://libro.fm/greenhandbooks

 

 

Book Review: Max Brooks' DEVOLUTION

A review of Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre

by Michelle Y. Souliere

Max Brooks' new book is, necessarily, different from its predecessors.  However, it does draw upon the same steady buildup of everyday-gone-wrong that World War Z utilized so effectively.  This time he gives readers a linear storyline, interspersed with interview segments and epistolary musings from those sifting through the wreckage of events, trying to put together what happened from the fragments they can gather.

The whole thing is put together cunningly.  At the start of the book, because of the way it is introduced, the reader feels like they know what is going on.  Kate's journal entries are innocuous enough, a little neurotic and anxiety-ridden, but in the Covid-era world, we can all understand how life drives you to previously unknown extremes due to stress, and how after a certain point, whatever has to be done to fix that will be done come hell or high water.

The other characters are introduced, and one is lulled by the normal weirdness of living isolated overall, but in close quarters with other people you might not have gotten to know so well before (again, Covid-era folks, we all know this feeling).

And then the slide begins.  A cataclysm, distant but with near effects.  Then side effects, then WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING NOW??? Once again, Max Brooks sneaks up and wallops readers six ways to Sunday, and leaves us shaken and deeply stirred by a very human, perhaps too-close-to-home at moments tale.

If you're looking for a good distraction, it's here.  Better get it before it gets you.

On a personal note:  Brooks (as always) has done his research.  The conditions in this sequence of events are in some ways very similar to a series of happenings in my home state of Maine that I have been researching while writing my upcoming book, Bigfoot in Maine.  Just consider that.

I have a few copies left of this hardcover available for purchase via our website, either for local pickup or mail order: https://greenhandbookshop.com/products/devolution-by-max-brooks

Note to publishers:  If you have upcoming horror or speculative fiction titles which you would like to send to my shop for review in the form of a print copy, please do so.  I cannot promise to review everything received, but I will do my best.  I do not read egalleys, I'm an old-fashioned bookworm.  Review copies can be sent to me at:  Michelle Souliere, Green Hand Bookshop, 661 Congress St, Portland ME 04101

Reopening with limited hours!

Currently reopening with limited open hours for browsing. Still offering pickup and mailorder for those who prefer not entering businesses. Please email michelle.souliere@gmail.com with any requests! :) Select new items also available for ordering at https://www.greenhandbookshop.com for mailorder or pickup.

Available by phone for questions from 11:00-6:00 Tues-Sat at (207)253-6808. Please leave a message if you get voicemail, and I will get right back to you. I may be with another customer or making a quick trip to the post office.

Thank you everyone, hope you're safe and well!

Mid-July reopening news

Hi all, it is with mixed feelings that I announce the necessity of reopening the shop, because I don’t think the business will survive much longer if I don’t. It’s been a tough haul since March 15 when we closed because of Covid. I am planning on reopening on a very limited basis in mid-July, so stay tuned for definite details as the date nears and I get more reopening preparations checked off on my to-do list. I take my responsibility in keeping both you and myself safe from unnecessary risks very seriously. Facemasks will be required for entry, and only 5 people will be allowed in at a time. Here’s to better days somewhere out there in the future. Stay safe and be well!

Notes on the current status of the Green Hand Bookshop

UPDATE: Hi everyone, I know there have been a lot of questions about when we're planning on reopening. I figured I should do a post so that everyone is on the same page. I am not planning on reopening the shop to the public for the foreseeable future. It is just too risky, and I care too much about my customers (and myself) to take unnecessary risks right now. I want you all to remain safe!

I am continuing to offer order pickup at the shop, and mailing services (which are very reasonable for shipping books via USPS Media Mail, hooray for the US Postal Service!!!).

For used books, the best way to inquire about and order them is to email me at michelle.souliere@gmail.com -- feel free to browse the shelfshots album here, or on Instagram (the posts are often slightly different, so feel free to browse both to get ideas). :) https://www.instagram.com/greenhandbooks/ If you need to call the shop, I'm generally in there running around putting orders together Weds-Sat 11:00-6:00.

Another option is to order via my new Shopify site at https://greenhandbookshop.com/, where I am gradually listing new retail items, adding new things whenever I have a spare moment (ha!).

For those of you who are struggling with decision making (and boy do I know the feeling), I have started putting together customized bundles. Pick a budget from $30 up (remember this will include sales tax and shipping if you need them mailed), email me your preferences:
-- what you're in the mood for (genre? topics? fiction/nonfiction?),
-- whether reading copies are okay for condition, and if you have a preference for hardcover vs softcover
-- give me an idea of what your past favorites are,
-- and let me know if there are any authors etc that you either have enough of already or don't like, so I don't send you something you don't want. ;)

I'll handpick you a book stack of your very own! :D Folks have been really happy so far, so it seems to be working well.

A lot of you have asked how things are going. "It's been a rollercoaster!" is the short answer, but because a lot of you have been so supportive, it seems to be working, and I'm squeaking by adequately to keep things going during these weird, weird times. I hope you're all hanging in there too.

Many thanks for everyone's help over the last 2 1/2 months. I couldn't do this without you all! 💕

Thank you everyone!

During Monday's workshop meeting of the Portland City Council it was decided that the city was not going to enforce the ban on mail order for retail businesses, until they can formalize and rewrite the order in the next official meeting (April 27). Thank you everyone for the support you gave towards the effort to make this happen! We couldn't have done it without you.

Thank you for speaking out in support of the survival of Portland's small businesses who were going to be decimated by this measure! We are able to continue to provide safe service to you all because of this.

Going forward, we are again able to provide mail order delivery of books to you. Please email michelle.souliere@gmail.com with your requests, and I will work through them as rapidly as I am able. Gift certificate orders are still being accepted, and obviously if anyone feels strongly enough that they want to make a donation, I will gratefully accept funds to assist in keeping the Green Hand Bookshop going during this dearth of "business as normal."

Please know (and this should be common sense) that I am not buying or trading books at this time, or for the forseeable future, and that the shop continues to be closed to the public.

Hopefully by sometime this summer it is possible that the Covid-19 outbreak will be leveling out, and with antibody tests in place we can start to plan out a return to "normal."

Thanks again, everyone! :)

Here is WGME's coverage of the events that culminated on Monday evening:
https://wgme.com/news/coronavirus/portland-clarifies-what-non-essential-businesses-can-do?jwsource=cl

My response to the City of Portland Maine's new curtailment of subsistence-level small business activity

Here's my response to Portland's new curtailment of small business subsistence-level activities.

If you feel inspired to let the City know what you think, please contact the Mayor's Office and the City Councillors.
Contact info here (although please note Councillor Costa's email doesn't work): https://www.portlandmaine.gov/Directory.aspx?did=11

April 16, 2020

Dear Mayor Snyder and City Council members:

Today I received an email from the Portland Downtown District which included a link to a new FAQ about Covid-19 related restrictions in Portland. I was confounded by what I read. Suddenly non-essential businesses are not even allowed to ship items to people in need? I would like to know the reasoning behind this extreme override of the statewide restrictions that were being used as a standard.

I also would like to know how the City of Portland is ready to step in and assist its struggling small businesses and sole proprietorships, which are the backbone of Portland’s vaunted creative economy. We have no access to unemployment, and the promised grants and loans are nowhere to be seen. How are we to buy groceries? Pay the rent our commercial landlords are still charging us? Pay the rest of our bills?

Many of us were already stuck in a position where we were making the best of it, sole proprietors singlehandedly scrambling, working unpaid overtime to generate time-intensive mail orders that we then had to struggle to get packed and out the door to maintain even a crumb of our normal incomes, all while maintaining CDC sanitary guidelines. But even though we were working exponentially more to make substantially less money, we said, “It’s better than nothing.” “We don’t want to be a burden on the system.” You decided in one fell swoop to throw us to the wolves, the wolves of hunger, Portland’s wolfpack of greedy landlords, and the ceaseless maw of deeper-than-ever debt.

Why are you punishing us? For what gain? We are behaving responsibly. Unlike the people who, as I write, are littering Portland’s sidewalks with contagious cigarette butts, walking around without masks, behaving irresponsibly and not observing social distancing guidelines in grocery stores and out in public anywhere I’ve had to go on an essential errand?

How is walking to my shop (masked, not touching anything, not getting near anyone) and getting a small amount of fresh air and exercise on the way any different from all the people walking around everywhere? How is my putting an item in the mail any different from a private citizen (which I am as well) mailing something?

I am deeply, deeply disappointed in the actions of the city council (and grateful that two of you at least stood up to maintain sanity). I and other small business owners I know have been more responsible than most. I and my husband closed our shops to the public before the city bothered to begin its own closures, as did all the clothing consignment/thrift shop owners I know. I watch private citizens behaving recklessly all around me while I and my husband struggle. And then we get slapped back by the city, effectively told we don’t matter. The city council didn’t bother to tell us about this itself, or interact with us. Instead of asking how you can help, you have gone out of your way to hurt the bedrock of this city.

Are you going to tell my customers, who were depending on books to help maintain their sanity and educate their children during shelter-in-place, that it’s not in anyone’s best interest to allow safe, responsible business owners to navigate these terrible times? When liquor stores are considered “essential” and books and learning are not?

Tell me why all my pride and love for Portland and all the years of effort I’ve put in to continue to make this a livable city are being thrown back in my face with no justification.

I would like answers to my questions. Please don’t ignore my letter.

Sincerely,

MICHELLE Y. SOULIERE

Owner, The Green Hand Bookshop

The latest update on closures

Hi folks, at a press conference today, the City of Portland announced a shelter-in-place order taking effect tomorrow, Weds March 25 at 5:00pm. I have linked to a report about it below.

What does this mean for the shop? It means I won't be available for local touch-free pickup any more, but (until otherwise announced) I can still mail items to your doorstep. You can email michelle.souliere@gmail.com if you have any requests and I will do what I can to fill them.

To those of you who have gone out of their way to try to buffer this blow by supporting the shop with your purchases of gift certificates and books, I cannot adequately express my fathomless appreciation. It has been tremendously touching to me to know that my business is not just a business, it's a big, wonderful, book-filled family that sprawls across the country and back. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. --Michelle

I hope you are all safe at home and staying well. It's important! Hang in there, everyone. We will get through this together. Stay smart!!!

Wonderful sketch from happier days by Jamie Hogan.

https://www.wmtw.com/article/portland-issues-stay-at-home-order-for-businesses-residents/31916507

Temporary closure - but you can still have books! Phew.

Hi folks -- After being open through the weekend (3/15), and weighing the options in my mind, I decided that instead of opening as usual for my normal winter hours on Thursday, for the time being, I will remain closed. Events have moved quickly, and to me this seems like the most responsible course of action.

However, if you would like to help the shop through this disastrous period with no income, there are several things you can do.

If you want to come pick up books, please email me at michelle.souliere@gmail.com with your wishlist (authors, titles, or subject matter, etc). I'll let you know which books I have, and we can go from there.

You can also call the shop at (207)253-6808. I will be in the store working and available for calls during these business hours: Weds-Sat 11:00-6:00 (minus trips to the post office), or you can leave a voicemail.

I am also very happy to ship books if you would like them to arrive at your doorstep. Media mail is an affordable option.

Another great option is to purchase a gift certificate, either for your own later use, or for someone who would love some books to get them through this period of social isolation.

To purchase a gift certificate in the amount of your choice for use at the Green Hand Bookshop, you can do one of the following:

1. Call the shop at (207)253-6808 during regular business hours. I will take your credit card number over the phone and process the purchase for you. I can mail the gift certificate to you or the recipient for free. If you get the shop voicemail, leave your name and phone number and I will call you back.

2. Send money via Venmo to @Michelle-Souliere -- don't forget to include your email and mailing instructions! :)

3. Mail a check or money order to the shop in the amount desired. Please include contact information in case of questions, and mailing instructions for the recipient.

Gift certificates can be used on any new or used items in the shop (661 Congress St, Portland ME), and do not expire.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions! :)

Take care, and be well!

What's happening?

Hi all!

We're open today (Sunday) until 5:00 as usual, but like everyone, we're not sure what's going to happen in Portland over the next couple of weeks. We may close the door to foot traffic but will remain able to ship books to you, just email me at michelle.souliere@gmail.com with requests.

Be well, and stay tuned!