Latest news with #MichelleTuplin
IOL News
22-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
People form human chain to move 9 100 books to new bookstore
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. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ '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.
CBC
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Why a Michigan community formed a human chain to move 9,100 books, one at a time
Moving is easy when you get 300 of your closest friends to help out. When Serendipity Books in Chelsea, Mich., needed to move 9,100 books to the store's new location one block away, they assembled a volunteer "book brigade" to form a human chain, and pass each book, one-by-one, to its new home. "We had people from five, six years old, all the way through to 91. Somebody brought their dog. And everybody was kind of having a bit of a street party as they were passing the books," Michelle Tuplin, the store's owner, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "People were singing. They were telling stories. They were reviewing the books as they moved along. You know, there was lots of excitement as they got to the romance section. It was just so fun." Section by section, in alphabetical order Serendipity Books didn't do this to save on money or labour, Tuplin said. In fact, she hired movers to come the following day for the bookcases. "We had so many offers of how people wanted to help, and we really wanted to be able to involve people in a meaningful way, and an inclusive way, too," she said. "The community really feels the sense of ownership to Serendipity Books, as they do, I think, with many indie bookstores." When she put out the call in January, she says she had no idea how many people would ultimately show up, and whether they'd be able to pull it off. But she says so many people heeded the call that they formed not one, but two human chains, and the whole thing was done in about two hours. "It was section by section, and so the crazy thing is that, really, items, for the most part, stayed in the right section and in alphabetical order," Tuplin said. "So for us in the new space, you know, there really is no unboxing or rearranging, re-alphabetizing. It's really pretty organized." Kaci Friss, 32, who works at Serendipity Books, grew up in Chelsea, a community of roughly 5,300 residents, 95 kilometres west of Detroit. She said the event reminded her of "how special" the community is. "People just really look out for each other," Friss said. "Anywhere you go, you are going to run into someone you know or who knows you, and is going to ask you about your day." The shop reopens at its new location on April 26, which happens to be Independent Bookstore Day. Tuplin admits that running a bookstore is a "tough business." But, she says people in Chelsea have always shown up for Serendipity Books. "People recognize that they want these books in their communities. They know what an independent bookstore in a community means," she said.
Washington Post
16-04-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Human chain moves 9,100 books into new Michigan bookstore
National Human chain moves 9,100 books into new Michigan bookstore April 16, 2025 | 3:50 PM GMT Michelle Tuplin, owner of Serendipity Books in Chelsea, Mich., asked her community to form a 'book brigade' to help her relocate her store to a new location about a block away.
NBC News
15-04-2025
- Business
- NBC News
A Michigan community takes a novel approach to moving 9,100 books for shop's next chapter
In a heartwarming show of community spirit, the small town of Chelsea, Michigan, pulled off a literary feat worthy of its own novel. When beloved local bookstore Serendipity Books announced it was relocating to a larger space, owner Michelle Tuplin was faced with a logistical challenge: How to move 9,100 books — and hundreds of boxes — without closing the business for days. "People really consider independent bookstores theirs," Tuplin said Tuesday. "It's really a part of the community, and they have ownership." So, she came up with a novel idea. Tuplin put out a call for volunteers, hoping some might lend a hand. What she got was a full-on movement — a human conveyor belt stretching 350 feet from the old store's stockroom, around the corner and into the new location. More than 300 people — and one very good dog — showed up to help. Neighbors, customers, and even passersby, joined in, forming two human chains to get the job done. 'It was just a joyful experience,' said Donna Zak, one of the volunteers. 'We were passing the books and noticing and commenting to each other, 'Oh, have you read this one? I really enjoyed this one!'' In less than two hours, Serendipity Books' entire inventory had been transferred — in alphabetical order, no less. 'There was a 91-year-old woman. There was a good customer who has issues with his heart. There was somebody with their 6-year-old child. And we figured if we just did it book by book, everybody could be involved,' Tuplin said. The new storefront is more than twice the size of the old one and will open later this month ahead of Independent Bookstore Day on April 26, a celebration of indie shops and the communities that support them. 'To see the community come out and, you know, put all those words that they say usually say into action, it truly just meant the world,' Tuplin said. 'It was overwhelming.' Proof that the written word, at least in one Michigan town, is alive and well. Sometimes, all it takes to spark a little magic is a shared love of books — and a willingness to pass it on.
