With many local restaurants shifting service from dine-in to takeout as a results of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ed Newton thought they’d do the same — but with a twist.
Newton is the manager of The Literate Lizard Bookstore, which for the past two-and-a-half weeks has been offering curb-side pickup for the purchase of new books.
“For books I already have in the store, I can arrange curb-side pickup or local delivery within one day, at any time convenient for the customer,” he said, adding that customers can inquire about a book by phone, email or Facebook Messenger.
If someone is looking for a book they do not have in the store, they can still order it for pickup or delivery.
“Shipments are a bit slow these days, but we generally can get a book in a week or so,” Newton said. “Customers can also order any of hundreds of thousands of titles through our website, to be picked up in the store or for direct home shipping at just $1 per book.”
Newton decided to close the doors of the store — located at 1575 W. State Route 89A at Oak Creek Blvd., Suite D — on March 18 and started offering this curb-side delivery the next day.
“It was a really tough decision,” he said. “Early on I was hearing the pros and cons on social media of businesses that were remaining open. I felt [closing] was the ethical thing to do for the community as well as the safety of myself and my wife.”
A message on the bookstore’s website states, “The Literate Lizard is doing its part to protect our community from the spread of the coronavirus by closing our store to shoppers for the time being. We are eagerly looking forward to reopening to the public as soon as possible.”
While he’s hopeful more people will take advantage of this service, Newton said the amount of people interested has been steadily growing.
“Requests so far have been a mix of fiction and non-fiction but probably more fiction books sold because right now people are looking for a little bit of escapism,” Newton said.
For more information on the store and its delivery options, visit online at www.theliteratelizard.com or call 862-4018.
