COVID-19 shutdown: Hares & Hyenas offer ‘Books by Bike’
The Victorian government’s shutdown measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus has resulted in Hares and Hyenas, Melbourne’s iconic queer book shop and cafe, announcing on Tuesday that they will be closed to the public until further notice. That does not, however, mean that the city’s residents will be deprived of books to keep them company during the lockdown. The book shop is offering a ‘Books by Bike’ free home delivery service.
“New government regulations coming into force on Wednesday 25 March means that Hares and Hyenas will be closed to the public until further notice…During the closure we will be providing an expanded mail-order system and a free Book by Bikes home delivery service,” the book shop said in a statement to its patrons.
The book shop, which also hosts a cafe and performance venue, has said that it will operate as an online retail outlet through its website www.hares-hyenas.com.au. The bookshop is also taking requests for home delivery on email ([email protected]) and on phone on (03) 9495 6589. The reach of its home delivery service has been expanded with a promise of same day delivery in some areas.
Rowland Thomson and Crusader Hillis opened Hares and Hyenas in 1991. The bookshop moved to its location at 63, Johnston Street, Fitzroy in 2006, which also houses a cafe and a performance venue.
We took a look at the website and here are five titles that piqued our interest:
Girl, Women, Other
Winner of the 2019 Booker Prize, this novel written by Bernardine Evaristo delves into the lives of 12 characters, inlcuding a black lesbian playwright and a non-binary social media influencer.
Swimming In the Dark
Thomas Jedrowski’s debut novel is a coming of age love story set in 1980s Poland, then under Communist rule. Ludwik, a young closeted graduate meets Janusz, soon discovering they stand on opposite sides of Warsaw’s political spectrum.
19 Love Songs
The New York Times best-selling author David Leviathan’s new work is a collection of short stories and poems about teenage love and heartbreak.
Bent Street #3
This is the annual collection of “Australian LGBTIQA+ art, writing and ideas,” with everything queer in 2019 – “essays, fiction, poetry, artwork, reflections, letters, blog posts, interviews, performance writing and rants”.
My First Frida Kahlo – Little People, Big Dreams
A doll and book set is the perfect gift to introduce “little dreamers” to the life of Frida Kahlo. For the grown ups there is the illustrated hardcover Frida A to Z: The Life of an Icon From Activism to Zapotec.
We are fearful Hares & Hyenas will not survive this event. Our challenge in the past was to get you to visit us; now we have to visit you; and so we are finding ways to take the bookshop to you.
We thank the customers and staff who have volunteered for the Books by Bikes home delivery service. We will be calling on them soon. Tonight BBB went to Collingwood, Fitzroy and Richmond, tomorrow to Northcote. Cycling is a method we can assure, but if orders get to customers by camel on time we are happy. Eagle Leather run a similar service, guaranteeing same day delivery.
The virus and the lockdown present huge challenges for this community. We know that it could prevent Australia experiencing the catastrophic situation that other countries now face, but we don’t want distancing to come at the cost of community connection. For many, books opened up worlds in childhood, lettings us escape difficult times; books have saved lives, relationships, sanity and more, and our free delivery service also saves people money at a time of uncertain work.
We have no events at the moment, we only serve takeaway coffee and there have been few customers, but the last week has been one of our busiest times ever. Rowland has been tying up loose ends, returning unneeded stock, developing new systems, chasing up orders and communicating with dozens of important contacts. We developed operational procedures and communication strategies to deal with regulations and guidelines, and as guidelines changed, we modified them, then modified them again. We threw them out with the announcement of the lockdown, and after 28 years we are down to just the two owners.
We try to keep up with things. Today many retail outlets opened as if not affected by the lockdown, and it was difficult to understand whether to open or not; the same applies to your knowing what shops are open in your area.
We are in the process of updating all our online communications and have been using our modest online eNewsletter to talk directly to the 20,000 profiles who follow us through social media and direct email. It is designed as an avenue of information exchange and sharing strategies . Everyone is invited to use this resource to share information. Sign up at http://www.hares-hyenas.com.au
We want to work and share resources with local businesses, and have started conversations with the Laird and Eagle Leather. They too are committed to the queer community’s survival. It is a make or break moment for many. Some businesses say they can last three weeks, others three months; many say they may never recover from the lost income, accumulated debts, loss of organisational knowledge and the break in connection they have with their customer base.
Those with discretionary spending are the only ones in the short term who can help businesses survive. Some queer businesses don’t have much profile but make a huge impact; others make a huge impact but do not make money; some are representative of emergent communities; some provide services across different communities; and some are representative of some segments of the community but not of others. Most businesses add to the community’s diversity and richness, and many have been pivotal in shaping it, whether through fundraising, place making, providing a group a home, behind the scenes, advocating for human rights or access to health services or providing prizes and in-kind support.
We might be past going out to clubs and bars, leather might not go with our tweed, books might be things that are good decorations on some people’s wall; you may have no idea what you would do with a voucher from a costume shop or two tickets to cabaret troupe? Give it away is one answer. To a friend for a milestone occasion or to a charity that can make money of it. Keeping the money flowing in this community, with a mind of supporting the enterprises that have helped make your choices possible, is the only thing we can do at the moment to ensure that our community businesses will be there when the lockdown ends.