Bookstore sales.

 According to the Census Bureau, bookstore sales were down:

May: -59.9%

June: -35.4%

July: -24.7%

August: -30.7%

This sort of surprises me because our sales have been robust. I mean, we're basically doubling sales every month on books.  The store overall is doing very well. I make the joke at the store that I probably shouldn't say that because I want everyone to feel sorry for us.

So part of this increase in book sales is me finally getting back the store and really giving books a lot of attention. But most of it is due to downtown Bend being extraordinarily busy. At least, it is for us. It completely puzzles me why most of the stores on my block are closed on Sundays and Mondays. There are a ton of tourists wandering around on Sundays and Mondays. What the heck?

I have a feeling that we handled the covis shutdown correctly. We closed completely for the 54 days or so that it was mandated. We didn't try to do any half-measures. We just closed. We renovated the store and it looks much better and I believe we are much more comfortable for the book customers than we were before. 

When we opened, we opened all the way. We required masks pretty much from the start, but other than that, we just flat opened. My reasoning on this was that it was inevitable--that whether I chose to do it in May or in June or in July--it was going to happen. So we might as well make the decision early and at least earn some business. 

What I'm trying to say is that there were no mixed messages. We were closed--and then we were open. No curbside, no online, not appointments...that just muddied the waters, I believe, for a lot of businesses. Just a feeling. 

There a certain tentativeness to other stores that I think is unsettling or off-putting. My feeling is--just be open. Talk to people. Do your business the way you've always done your business. No excuses, no complications.