Team work makes the dream work

The Haringey community stepped up to keep the All Good Bookshop in Turnpike Lane open when the manager, Tim West, was ill with Covid-19.

Friends and members of the bookshop volunteered their time selling books, taking online orders, and keeping track of the shop’s finances, so that it could stay open during the last week of November 2021.

Keeping the shop open prevented a loss of income and meant that it could continue its role as a community space.

Stephen Fitzsimons, a local teacher and writer, was amongst the volunteers. He said: “The shop is a vital focal point of the local community. It serves as a bookshop first but is also a place where people can come for a quiet moment of escape, feel acknowledged, accepted, and welcomed.”

The plan began when a small group of bookshop members offered to manage the shop for one or two days, whilst Tim was bedridden from the virus. A call for help was soon sent out via the bookshop’s newsletter, and a team of seven volunteers kept the shop running for the week.

The bookshop had several temporary closures, last year as a result of the Covid lockdowns. During that time the All Good Bookshop sold books online which Tim delivered locally.

In September 2020, Tim was named as a ‘Haringey Hero’ by the council for his book deliveries.

Local resident, Christopher Brosnahan, runs the All Good Bookshop Writers’ Group; he helped volunteer whilst Tim was ill. He said: “People were very forgiving as we all figured out how to use things for the first time, and many were asking after Tim.

“Everyone was shocked and concerned to hear the news, and many asked how they could help − it’s a local hub that means a lot to people in the area.”

The All Good Bookshop is a community owned, co-operative bookshop that opened in June 2020. In addition to selling books, the shop serves as a meeting space for community groups, hosting toddler story-time sessions, yoga classes, book clubs, and a writers’ group.

Tim, who is now feeling much better, said: “It was brilliant how the members of the co-op rallied round to keep the shop running. It has proved there is a definite love for the shop even after so short an existence.”

Stephen said: “I was amazed it all ran so smoothly. Everyone was so generous with their time and patience. It just shows that people often are great and willing to help others no matter what.”