In the town of Chelsea, Michigan, a local bookstore pulled off a storybook move with the help of hundreds of volunteers. When Serendipity Books needed to relocate over 9,000 books to a new, larger space, owner Michelle Tuplin had a novel idea: ask the community to form a human book brigade.
From age 6 to 91, neighbors lined up shoulder to shoulder, passing books one by one down a 300-foot path to the new location. The entire inventory was moved in under two hours — in alphabetical order, no less. For many, it wasn’t just about lending a hand, but sharing favorite reads and connecting through a love of literature.
The new shop, which is twice the size of the old one, will open in time for Independent Bookstore Day. For Tuplin, it was more than a move, it was a moment of unity and joy. In Chelsea, the written word still brings people together, one book at a time.