{"id":633,"date":"2020-08-14T15:41:34","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T19:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montgomerymag.com\/?p=633"},"modified":"2020-08-14T15:58:23","modified_gmt":"2020-08-14T19:58:23","slug":"a-boost-in-business-at-loyalty-bookstores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montgomerymag.com\/a-boost-in-business-at-loyalty-bookstores\/","title":{"rendered":"A Boost in Business at Loyalty Bookstores"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hannah
Photo: David Stuck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“When you purchase an antiracist title from a Black bookstore, you are engaging in antiracist action with your purchasing power\u2014with your dollars,\u201d says Hannah Oliver Depp, owner of Loyalty Bookstores<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Demand for books about race and social justice has skyrocketed after a surge in activity from the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of Minneapolis man George Floyd.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if they only read a quarter of the books that they\u2019re buying, they\u2019re buying
\nincredible books. They\u2019re buying Audre Lorde; they\u2019re buying James Baldwin \u2026 they\u2019re buying Jason Reynolds,\u201d says Depp.<\/p>\n

The fate of Loyalty Bookstores was uncertain as its D.C. store and its new Silver Spring location, which only opened in February, closed due to COVID-19. For the first few months in quarantine, orders were processed and shipped directly from Depp\u2019s house in Brightwood. But after a \u201cmassive influx\u201d of online orders for antiracist literature, business has taken a turn for the better.<\/p>\n

By the end of May, Depp, 33, was working up to 20 hours a day. Proceeds from Loyalty\u2019s boost in orders have gone toward causes such as Black Lives Matter DC, bail bonds and writing classes for community members.<\/p>\n

Now that retail is opening back up, online orders are being prepared in Silver Spring, where Depp says the set-up is like a warehouse, and contactless pickup is available at both locations. Depp notes how the inability to have in-person book shopping is especially disappointing.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody misses just the pure pleasure of browsing a store and talking to people who are knowledgeable about books, face-to-face,\u201d she says. \u201cBooks and bookstores are for everyone\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Tired of seeing a lack of Asian representation in kid lit, this Bethesda author<\/a> began writing her own children’s books.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Depp, who used to visit an aunt in Silver Spring when she was growing up, was excited to serve its \u201cincredibly and truly diverse\u201d community. Losing the space so soon after opening was \u201cheartbreaking\u201d for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still processing it because we\u2019re still not doing what we designed ourselves to
\ndo,\u201d says Depp, \u201cwhich is to be a physical, communal space in a world where those
\nare dwindling. It was a dream deferred even further.\u201d<\/p>\n

Depp hopes to allow in-store appointment shopping by the fall but is holding off on a full re-opening at the moment for the safety of her staff members. In-person events, such as drag queen story times and meet-and-greets with authors, are also on hold, but Loyalty Bookstores will continue to offer a bevy of online events, including recurring book discussions with author Bethanne Patrick and an antiracist book club.<\/p>\n

And although the push for social justice seems as strong as it has in a long time, Depp doesn\u2019t expect the desire for more antiracism literature to continue at the same volume.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerica did not actually wake up to the true horrors of its racist legacy and the way that that is 100 percent present and accurate in our decisions today,\u201d she says. \u201cI do think that a larger chunk of people woke up to it than had woken up to it before. And that\u2019s the way we move things, chunk by chunk.\u201d<\/p>\n

A version of this story appeared in the August-September 2020 issue<\/a> of Montgomery Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The fate of the Black-owned bookstore in Silver Spring was uncertain at the start of COVID-19. Then the demand for books about race and social justice skyrocketed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,13],"tags":[60,76,95],"yoast_head":"\nA Boost in Business at Loyalty Bookstores - Montgomery Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The fate of the Black-owned Loyalty Bookstores in Silver Spring and DC was uncertain at the start of COVID-19. 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