Local bookstore still serves bookworms after opening cancelled by COVID-19

The opening of a new store can be all excitement and nervous energy — until that opening is postponed indefinitely by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Annabel Townsend was set to open her new independent bookstore, The Penny University, in Regina at the end of April. But she won’t be able to until the end of the public health measures.

Townsend ran her shop at the Centennial Market for the last year, but in February she decided she wanted to open her own storefront.

“I left the market and I got everything together and I signed a lease on a building, and there was quite a few sort of renovations and stuff that we had to do to the venue. So I sort of got halfway through ordering all the books and ordered the contractor bids for the building, and then the virus hit,” explained Townsend.

There are still some renovations that need to be done to the space. Townsend said that is still happening as much as it can, but she’s in limbo.

She said she’s probably in a better position than some stores because she doesn’t have any employees to pay, but there are bills.

“But I did get out a fairly substantial-sized business loan which I’m kind of worried about and as of May I will have to start paying the rent on the building as well and so forth. So at the moment it is kind of frustrating, but also low-level panic about all the bills coming in sometime soon as well,” explained Townsend.

Townsend isn’t just sitting around and waiting, however. She’s taking the books to her customers, so to speak.

She said before COVID-19 cases started increasing here, she took delivery of about 17 boxes of the books she’d ordered for the store and they’re now stored in her home.

So until she can open up the store proper, she’s selling subscription boxes on her website. She packs up a bag of coffee beans and a surprise book she thinks the customer will like and mails them off.

“So you can see the beginnings of what we’ve got to offer and, without leaving your home or without having any sort of human contact, it will arrive in the mail,” said Townsend.

The subscriptions come in three-month, six-month or indefinite lengths, and she said it’s proving more popular than she realized it would.

“I’m taking that as a win for now,” Townsend said with a laugh.

When it comes to the storefront on Albert Street near 13th Avenue, Townsend said she’s just asking people to bear with her until she can finally open the doors.