Taylor Swift helps Nashville record store through coronavirus; James Patterson helps bookstores
As Nashville record stores — like countless other business — fight to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, Taylor Swift has quietly offered aid to the city's most revered record shop.
The pop superstar and Nashville resident gave an undisclosed amount to every full-time staffer at Grimey's New & Preloved Music, and has paid for the next three months of the business' health care costs, co-owner Doyle Davis confirmed to The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The gesture comes weeks after Swift donated $1 million to the Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund in the wake of two devastating tornadoes in the region.
Davis says it gives him some "peace of mind" while he applies for Small Business Association loans, which he'll need to pay Grimey's rent, vendors and other expenses.
Following Nashville Mayor John Cooper's Safer at Home order, Grimey's closed its doors on March 22. It hopes to reopen for mail-order on April 6.
Meanwhile, best-selling author James Patterson, who has donated millions in recent years to independent booksellers, schools, libraries and literacy programs, has launched a new initiative to help stores closing nationwide because of the coronavirus outbreak.
On Thursday, he announced #SaveIndieBookstores, a partnership with the American Booksellers Association and the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. Patterson is contributing $500,000 and is urging others to contribute this month.
“I’m concerned about the survival of independent bookstores, which are at the heart of main streets across the country,” Patterson said. “I believe that books are essential. They make us kinder, more empathetic human beings. And they have the power to take us away — even momentarily — from feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and scared.”
ABA member bookstores have from April 10-27 to apply for a grant on SaveIndieBookstores.com. Parameters haven’t been set yet for the biggest and smallest donations, and will depend on how much money is raised. Funds are expected to be distributed by May 15.
“This support for independent bookstores is incredibly generous,” ABA CEO Allison K Hill said in a statement. “It is especially meaningful to have this support from people who recognize the cultural contributions of independent bookstores, and who appreciate the vital role that independent bookstores play in connecting readers to books, and in creating community.”
On Thursday, NPD BookScan reported the second significant drop in sales in the past three weeks. According to BookScan, which tracks around 85 percent of the print market, sales fell 9 percent from the week before, when the numbers were relatively stable.
Independent bookstores have enjoyed a resurgence over the past decade, but many have thin or nonexistent profits. Some stores already have started GoFundMe drives, including Posman Books, which has closed its businesses in New York and Atlanta and laid off its workers. As of late Wednesday, it raised around $2,700 out of a goal of $4,000, with author Colson Whitehead among the contributors.
Contributing: Associated Press
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Coronavirus: Taylor Swift helps Nashville record store employees, rent
