(Above: A young reader browses in the children’s section of Black Sun Books; photo by Paul Carter)

By Randi Bjornstad

There are no bright spots to be seen in the devastating Covid-19 pandemic that has much of the world in its grip, but some local independent booksellers nonetheless are doing their best to connect readers with books that can help get them through the isolation of “sheltering in place.”

Not being on the list of “essential businesses” — although many avid readers probably would quibble with that omission — most area bookstores are closed. But their owners are finding ways to maintain connections with the public by searching the shelves in their shops for requested titles, ordering books that patrons want to buy that aren’t in the inventory, and offering curbside pickup or, in at least one case, even delivering in the local area.

Black Sun Books

  • 2467 Hilyard St., Eugene, OR 97405
  • Telephone 541-484-3777
  • Email info@blacksunbooks.org
  • Online at blacksunbooks.net

Peter Ogura, owner of Black Sun Books near 24th and Hilyard streets in south Eugene, sums up the plight of many small-business owners as he worries about not being able to welcome customers who either want to browse through the shop’s thousands of new or used books or order titles not in stock.

Obviously, bookstores are losing much of their revenue by having to lock their doors for who-knows-how-long, “but at the same time, there is still the rent to pay, which is a big concern,” Ogura said.

So he has arranged to have a worker at the store three afternoons a week, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and noon to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

“If they know what they want, we can find it right away, and if we don’t have something in stock, we can order it for them, and then they can come in and pick it up, Ogura said.  “And people can always call and leave a message or email the store to ask about a title when nobody is here.”

J Michaels Books

  • 160 E. Broadway, Eugene, OR 97401
  • Telephone 342-2002
  • Email jmbooks@mindspring.com
  • Online at jmichaelsbooks.com

The situation is similar for Jeremy Nissel, proprietor of J Michaels Books in downtown Eugene.

“I have not heard that there will be any reductions in rent, so I’ve paid for April, but of course daily sales have been slashed, by about half to two-thirds,” Nissel said. “Our website has 100 or so books on it, mostly new releases and all critically acclaimed titles, so we can provide those, but that doesn’t make up for people just being able to come in and look for things that they don’t have in mind when they come in.”

His business is affected even more with the delay of opening the Saturday Market in the nearby park blocks in downtown Eugene.

“The market would normally have opened on April 4, but now that has been delayed,” Nissel said. “Those are usually big days for us, so that also will make a big difference in our sales.”

For years, he resisted having an “e-commerce” site, but in the face of the pandemic, he’s rethinking that decision.

“Clearly, the handwriting is on the wall more than ever,” Nissel said. “People have a need and a want to buy online, so they often end up emailing or calling me to see if I can get them books that they want. And local customers tend to be very loyal to local bookstores — I find that they usually buy more when they come in because they appreciate and want to support local businesses.”

For the foreseeable future, J Michaels will open by telephone from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

“We can shop for them if they know the title they want, and we can make suggestions,” Nissel said. “We will offer curbside pickup — we have a couple of parking spaces available for that. If they want to pay in advance with a card, we can put their books outside the door when they come. Or we can come to their car and get their check or credit card or cash, whatever they prefer. And we’re offering delivery to addresses within five miles of the store, probably starting about 4 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday after we finish in the store.”

Tsunami Books

  • 2585 Willamette St., Eugene, OR 97405
  • Telephone 541-345-8986
  • Email tsunami1@opusnet.com
  • Online at tsunamibooks.org

Curbside pickup is also an option at Tsunami Books, in the side parking lot on E. 26th Ave., according to an email message from a bookstore spokeswoman.

The store also has an online shopping option at tsunamibooks.org/shop and will ship books anywhere in the United States. The website offers about a dozen “quarantine kits,” each of which includes five or six books on a particular theme, including different genres of fiction as well as drawing and coloring, nature, gardening, history, feminism, and poetry.

Smith Family Bookstore

  • 525 Willamette St., Eugene, OR 97401
  • Telephone 541-343-4714
  • Email smithfamilybookstore@gmail.com
  • Online at smithfamilybookstore.com

Smith Family Bookstore’s remaining retail outlet is in downtown Eugene, following closure in late 2019 of the store on East 13th Avenue near the University of Oregon campus.

Smith Family will help with locating specific new or used books by telephone or email from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Books may be picked up at the store or mailed.

The majority of Smith Family’s inventory of 500,000 books is contained in its Eugene store, online at smithfamilybookstore.com/used-books/.Thousands of the store’s textbooks, rare books, and out-of-print volumes also are available online at abebooks.com.