What a Year

March 14, 2020 was our last 'normal' day of business before COVID. It was also one of our best sales days ever at Federal Street Books after only five months under our ownership. There's no way we could have predicted this turn for our business, but we've used this time to expand and improve our book selection and the services we offer to our customers.

Over the past year we have:

• Invested in brand-new titles to improve representation, adding an anti-racist section and expanding our selection of women, Black, GLBTQIA+, and writers of color, particularly in our science fiction and fantasy, children's, and graphic novels categories.
• Added nearly 2500 titles to our website, and began curbside pickup, Greenfield delivery, and special order options.
• Started partnerships with Libro.fm and Bookshop to add audiobooks and even more brand-new titles.
• Undertaken a vast excess inventory reorganizing and cleaning process. We're not nearly done -- but we've made progress -- and it's brought additional used titles and signed books to our shelves.
• Expanded our science fiction and fantasy, graphic novels, and history sections, and returned pulp titles and sheet music to our sales floor.
• Acquired "value" (never-owned but bargain-priced) books to update and expand our gardening, DIY, cooking, and history sections.

Unfortunately COVID and site logistics have put an end to event programming for the moment, but we hope to one day return to hosting events to support local authors, musicians, and artists, and to build community.

We'll continue to revisit our safety policies regarding on-site browsing. For now, we are accommodating one household per appointment or walk-in. As COVID numbers decline and vaccination rates rise, we'll continue to assess and adapt.

If you've read this far you've probably been a key supporter of ours this year, and we thank you, and look forward to seeing you soon.

Hillary and Neil