New Yorkers and book lovers around the country rushed to the rescue after the owner of the Big Apple's historic Strand bookstore warned that it was facing the toughest times in its 93-year history. Owner Nancy Bass Wyden-granddaughter of the store's founder-tweeted Friday that sales were down 70% year-on-year and the business was becoming "unsustainable." She added, "We need to mobilize the community to buy from us so we can keep our doors open until there is a vaccine." Over the next two days, there were lineups stretching around the block and the store received so many online orders that its website crashed. One customer bought 197 books. Wyden said the store received 25,000 online orders over the weekend. The normal total would have been around 600. She said, "How can I not love my book community for help like this. I really don't think that we're just a bookstore. I think we're a place of discovery and a community center. When I ask for help and they respond this fast, it's so heartwarming."
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