People form human chain to move 9 100 books to new bookstore

IOL News

22-04-2025

Sydney Page
When 300 people formed a human chain to move thousands of books from one store to another, bookstore owner Michelle Tuplin could hardly believe her eyes.
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'It was so moving,' said Tuplin, who has owned Serendipity Books in Chelsea, Michigan, since 2017.
After announcing she was moving her independent bookstore about a block away to a new location, her regular customers all had the same question: 'How can I help?'
'Everybody wanted to know what they could do,' said Tuplin.
She came up with an idea to do a 'book brigade,' where community members would form a line and pass books from the old store to the new store.
'I had seen something similar years ago, and it was definitely something I wanted to do,' Tuplin said. People of all ages stepped up to help.
She spread the word about her idea through posters and handouts, as well as on social media.
'We just asked and then we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best,' Tuplin said, adding that she didn't make a sign-up sheet because she didn't want people to feel pressured to attend if their plans changed. About 300 people showed up to take part in the book brigade.
She certainly did not expect hundreds of people to show up on Sunday, ready to relocate more than 9,000 books from the Middle Street store to the new shop on Main Street.
Although she was anticipating a decent turnout, 'it was still a shock to see all of those supporters and people ready to help,' Tuplin said.
Volunteers formed two lines across from one another, leading all the way to the new store, about 350 feet away. They passed each individual book down the line until it reached the final person, who placed it on a shelf in its new home.
Relocating all 9,100 books took just under two hours.
'It was a huge help; it was a meaningful help,' Tuplin said.
In addition to many familiar faces, people from Tuplin's past also showed up to help, including her son's second-grade teacher. Her son is now 23.
'When she gave me a hug, I just about lost it at that point,' Tuplin said.
The books were transported alphabetized and based on genre. While it would have been faster to package the books in boxes, Tuplin decided that approach wouldn't have been as much fun.
'We wanted everybody to be able to do it,' she said, noting that a 91-year-old woman showed up to help, as well as a 6-year-old child. 'If we did it book by book, they could all be a part of it.'
When Patrick Conlin heard about the book brigade, he said he was excited to attend, and he brought five members of his book club with him.
'I thought, 'what a great way to be with local people,'' Conlin said.
Coincidentally, the new bookstore is Conlin's old law office. He practiced law there for 20 years, until he became a judge 10 years ago. His children grew up with Tuplin's children, and he has long been a fan of Serendipity Books.
'It was a total turnout of the town,' Conlin said, adding that he was the last person in line and was responsible for shelving the books in the new store. 'It was so cool.'
Every time a shelf was filled, 'everyone would cheer,' he said.
Michele Friss also showed up to help.
'I have been going to the bookstore for a long time,' Friss said, adding that her daughter, Kaci, works there as a bookseller.
Friss said she was stunned by both the size of the crowd and how quickly the books moved.
'It was super efficient,' she said. 'The event was wonderful; it was this sense of community.'
Friss's daughter captured a video of the book brigade, and it took off on TikTok. The video has been viewed more than 1.6 million times.
'This is phenomenal. You are rich in life. You won the lottery,' someone commented.
'Many hands make light work! Love this,' someone else wrote.
Tuplin said she's blown away by the response to her initiative.
'The whole town is celebrating,' Tuplin said. 'It feels really good.'
Tuplin decided to relocate her store to Main Street, as the space is more than double the size of her previous store. Plus, there are no stairs in it, making it more accessible.
The new Serendipity Books will open on April 26 - which is Independent Bookstore Day. In the meantime, the website remains open for sales.
Tuplin said the move was both seamless and memorable.