Wednesday, March 18, 2020
There are a number of Irish-themed bars in Long Beach, but none of them were open yesterday. All bars were closed, as well as restaurants for anything but take-out. While a bar doesn’t survive simply on the income boost from a single holiday, such as St. Patrick’s, the cancellation of any business yesterday on the local micro-scale of Irish scale should make us pause and ask ourselves what awaits our country. If the tsunami of a massive economic contraction generates widespread unemployment, I don’t think people are going to be as passive as they were last time. Economic relief can only be sustained if the bloated coffers of corporations are massively drained. Anything else will only lead to further economic calamity down the road in which public debt overwhelms public obligations.
In the meantime, let those of us who prefer a good book to a good drink (and the former is far more intoxicating) remember that Small Press Distribution is still open for business. Peruse their catalogue on-line while you shelter-in-place and find that book you’ve been meaning to get your hands on.
www.spdbooks.com
Since the retail location of SPD (Small Press Distribution) is in an area of Northern California that is a “restricted zone,” I am taking the liberty of posting a letter from Brent Cunningham that explains how they are going about their business. If you can afford to send a small donation to SPD, which is an essential organization for many small presses, please do so.
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Dear Friends of SPD,
We are emailing to let you know that our area in Berkeley and the Bay Area is now part of a “shelter-in-place” order that was issued 3/16 to attempt to contain the coronavirus. See here:
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/16/read-shelter-in-place-order-from-six-bay-area-counties/
The public health and the health of our staff is most important to SPD. At the same time we feel strongly that we have a mission to support our publishers, authors, and you, our community and our customers. According to the shelter-in-place order, we are allowed to perform “Minimum Basic Operations” given that employees maintain 6ft of distance between each other. As such, we are able to run a reduced staff with only one to two people in the building at each time, maintaining a full slate of hygiene practices e.g. wiping down surfaces, wearing gloves, etc. We think we can continue to receive, take orders, and ship, albeit in a very limited capacity.
If you have any questions about a current order, please don’t hesitate to email orders@spdbooks.org. We will do our best to help!
Many of our essential functions will be delayed but we are trying to adjust most crucially so that we can continue to pay our workers for as long as possible. Please be forewarned that If anything poses a risk to their health, we are fully prepared to shut down immediately! We will keep you updated.
Your patience is appreciated during this challenging time. In the meantime, the most helpful thing you can do for SPD is to send us a small donation. It would mean a great deal.
Yrs,
Brent Cunningham
Executive Director
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