Keep the Literary Lights On… One Book at a Time!

Happy Sunday, Summerville! You wouldn’t know from this beautiful day that anything’s amiss in the world right now, except for the eerily quiet streets. We’ve seen folks out for walks in Azalea Park (yes, using social distance!) and we know you’re all a bit wistful realizing how many will miss the postponed Flowertown Festival, especially in a year when the blooms have been magnificent. Sigh…

But here’s a fascinating fact: Did you know, that with so many people worldwide observing shelter at home rules, global pollution has gone down so much it can be seen from space?! I wonder, when we come out the other side of this, if even just one work-from-home day each week for those who could, would continue to impact the air we all breathe. Hmmm… think we’ll build a list of environmental titles today! (We DID – see below!)

New Hours: Daily 10-6, Closed on Sundays

Like many of our neighbors, we’re closing just a little earlier and taking Sundays off, both to do extra cleaning, AND because most of you are staying home, and that’s okay! If you need something outside of regular office hours, call the store at 843-875-5115.

Monday’s writing group will again meet by PHONE at 6:30 p.m. Call 605-313-5164, access code 892009# — We’ll chat about other meeting options on that call, based on the input of the group.

Our Living Large Book Club on April 2nd will do the same: Call into 605-313-5164, access code 892009# and we’ll chat by phone about The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, and about how much has changed since just last month’s meeting when we gathered in person!

Listening to Your Books? Join Libro.fm & Shop Our Page!

Wee! We now offer audiobooks that you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our newest partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store! Just visit our shop at libro.fm/mainstreetreads. Libro.fm works with all major publishers and has a catalog of over 150,000 audiobooks, including New York Times bestsellers.

Get Your Gift Card Here

Need a gift card? We can do that! Gift cards are available in any amount and can be used towards any in-store purchase, and they won’t expire on you! Best of all, you can use it like a debit card; just reload it when it runs low. You can purchase using the button below, OR at Main Street Reads OR order by phone (843-875-5171) and we can mail it (free of charge) to you or a loved one today.

Virtual Events & Breakfast with Books

While we can’t really plan any events at the moment (duh, right?!), we’ve been brainstorming daily with booksellers around the country about how we might still impact our community in a positive way during this phase. Besides organizing some live “virtual events” (stay tuned for details on those Thursday!) we’re in the early stages of a new project:

We’re working to collect and provide some much-needed reading to area youngsters in need, especially with schools and libraries being closed! We do NOT have final details to release yet, but please stay tuned. If helping provide those books is something you’d like to be involved in, we have set up a button below to donate to this Books & Breakfast Challenge. More details in Thursday’s post.

Order Online: Our User-Friendly Experience

We’re still adding suggested titles to enjoy DAILY on our curated lists at our online ordering page at bookshop.org – We invite you to browse our suggestions or search for any book! Do share with us how you enjoy the experience. Below are current lists we’ve built to amuse:

*** Have a suggestion for a list we should build? Email us at [email protected]!

You can also view our most popular 2,500 book inventory items IN STOCK at the store (The list will update today by 2 pm with new titles.) The list will continue to update every few days to reflect sales of items, and new inventory arriving. If you need to place an order for pickup or delivery, contact the store at 843-875-5171 OR 843-834-1872. View the in-stock list HERE.

We’ll be back Thursday to post you on the latest updates and useful resources for you and your families… Continue to take the very best care of you and yours, appreciate the work our first responders and healthcare workers are doing for us all, and reach out if we can be of assistance. Keep calm and read on!

Community Resources

  • Summerville DREAM (“It’s just little sweeter here!”) is maintaining a list of what local downtown businesses are doing to serve you safely. CLICK HERE to VIEW
  • The Greater Summerville/Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce has created a dedicated page of Coronavirus Updates and Info. CLICK HERE to VIEW
  • Dorchester County’s dedicated page has more resources and info about health, business and more. CLICK HERE to VIEW.
  • DHEC’s page of coronavirus info and health-related resources also has plenty of updated info. CLICK HERE to VIEW.
  • From Storm Tracker to Covid Tracker? Here’s a Live5 News tracker to view cases around the country: CLICK HERE to VIEW