Two years ago, the future of independent bookselling looked bleak. Coronavirus forced retailers to shut down and the publishing industry was braced for a blow that could permanently reshape how readers buy books. Instead, something unexpected has happened
People told Lucy Yu it was a crazy time to open a bookstore in New York City’s Chinatown. It was early 2021, and the pandemic had devastated the neighborhood, forcing dozens of stores and restaurants to close. The rise of anti-Asian hate crimes had shaken residents and local business owners.
But Yu believed that a bookstore was just what the neighborhood needed.
She raised around $20,000 on GoFundMe, enough to rent a narrow storefront — a former funeral supply store — on Mulberry Street in downtown Manhattan. A neighborhood grant gave her $2,000 for shelves and books. And in December, she opened Yu and Me Books, which specializes in titles by and about immigrants and people of color.
The store was profitable within four months, Yu said.
©2019 New York Times News Service