In early April, the owner of an independent bookstore in Chelsea, Michigan, told the community that the store, Serendipity Books, was moving around the corner because they were able to “outgrow” their current space due to the immense “community of indie book lovers” in town.
But the move, from Middle Street to Main Street, needed a few more hands to make it happen.
“When I came down the steps of the old store and looked, turned the corner, and I saw this line … I really struggled to hold it together,” owner Michelle Tuplin told ABC News.
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Tuplin, who has owned the store since 2017, said around 300 community members came out on April 13 to help with the move, forming what has since been called the “book brigade.”
The story has also gone viral on TikTok, with the store’s original post garnering more than 1.7 million views.
@serendipitybooktok POV: your community shows up 300 strong to help move your ENTIRE BOOKSTORE around the corner to your new location. Today was so beautiful thank you Chelsea!!! ??? #fyp #bookbrigade #michiganbookstore #indiebookstore #booktok #shoplocal #community #serendipitybooks ♬ original sound – Serendipity Books
Remarkably, the entire move only took two hours, Tuplin estimates. About 9,100 books were passed by hand by people of all ages around the charming streets that look straight out of a Hallmark movie.
Chelsea is about 60 miles from Detroit and has around 5,300 residents. That means approximately one in 17 town residents came out to help. The store has been in business in the community since 1997.
“I think there was a 6-year-old and then a 91-year-old, so it went over the whole gamut,” Tuplin told ABC News. “I think independent bookstores have a really important place in communities, and people feel an ownership, a sense of being a part of a thing, and we wanted to be able to give them that opportunity to help in a meaningful way.”
Serendipity Books is holding its grand opening event on April 26 to coincide with Independent Bookstore Day.
