We’re back with the second instalment in our series of posts highlighting how Canadian retailers and publishers are responding to social distancing measures and the changes put in place due to COVID-19. This week, our interview with Martha Sharpe from Flying Books in Toronto!

Flying Books is a bookshop nestled inside three different businesses in downtown Toronto: The Good Neighbour Espresso Bar on Bloor St W, another Good Neighbour on Dovercourt Rd, and The Gladstone Hotel. Rotating selections include fiction, memoirs, graphic novels, science, and history. Flying Books launched in 2015, and their name and logo take inspiration from aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. As stated on the Flying Books website, they chose the name because “[t]o read is to take flight. Great writing transports you to other places, takes risks, breaks down barriers, and enlivens your world.”

Picture of the front of the building where Flying Books is located, there's a sticker in the window that reads, The good neighbour.

1. How have you adapted your business in response to COVID-19? Are there particular initiatives that you’d like to share?

When the quarantine started, our physical locations inside cafes and the Gladstone Hotel in downtown Toronto closed, and we pivoted immediately to online sales with our "Airdrop" campaign, which provides free contactless delivery, no minimum order required, within a specified delivery zone. Customers use the promo code "AIRDROP" at checkout. The response has been fantastic! We've been busy.

2. Will you continue with any of these initiatives or business practices when brick-and-mortar bookstores reopen to customers?

Yes, possibly in a modified way.

3. Have you noticed a shift in book-buying habits amongst your customers?

Customers are really stocking up on books by BIPOC authors, such as Desmond Cole's The Skin We're In and Alicia Elliott's A Mind Spread Out on the Ground and we're working hard to meet the demand for these and other crucial works.

4. Have you experimented with new tools or technologies during COVID-19? Do you anticipate continuing to use these?

Yes, we have partnered with Libro.fm so that customers interested in audiobooks can order via Flying Books — this will continue. And we've started working with a courier to make deliveries outside of our free delivery zone — this will also continue.

Flying Books tote bag filled with three books.

5. What is your biggest takeaway from working as a bookseller while physical-distancing measures have been in place?

The smaller players are able to adapt swiftly to any obstacle, and when distributors and publishers respond in kind, it's a beautiful industry!

BONUS: Are there other indie booksellers in Canada who are doing interesting stuff that you’d like to recognize?

The FOLD isn't a bookseller, but they've been incredible. Raincoast lowered its minimum order threshold, which was a huge help. Anansi and Coach House have also been great. And the reps and customer service at Penguin Random House Canada have been fantastic, too. We're getting through this!

Looking to support independent retailers in your area? Rocky Mountain Books' publisher, Don Gorman, has created a map of indie booksellers across Canada who are currently offering delivery and / or curb-side pickup.

Got a story about how your organization has responded to COVID-19? We want to hear from you! Please fill out this short questionnaire.