Hello, Bookstore is directed by A.B Zax and where you’ll find owner, Matt Tannenbaum, organizing books by colour, size, front cover, or whatever he feels like at any given time. “The Bookstore” is a little hidden gem in Lenox, Massachusetts and in this documentary, we are like flies on the wall in his shop.
From the works of Henry Miller to modern-day books like Harry Potter and everything in-between, you’ll find a huge selection here. It’s like a treasure hunt once you step inside, but Matt can be your guide, who is eager to share his wisdom, his stories, and has quite a knack for finding you the perfect book(s) that will have you coming back for more.
Then the pandemic hit... Hello, Bookstore becomes more like Hello Computer! Instead of enjoying the presence of his long-time customers, and the delight of meeting new faces that walk-by and enter into the bookstore, Matt makes the hard decision to not let anyone inside. The store is closed for browsing. Visit the website or talk to him through a glass door – this is now the protocol. It’s impersonal and heart-breaking to experience after you feel the warmth with every interaction that Matt seems to make effortlessly, and that is captured delicately in this film with the simple static shots.
Once a thriving bookstore, sales begin to plummet, as the joy of searching online for a book never has the same feel of taking it off a shelf. Like many, we feel the distress of Matt being knee-high in bill payments. Answering the phone since the very beginning with “Hello, Bookstore” could very well be the last time.
"Fiction is the filter through which I see the world” Matt says, and we are all waiting on bated breath to find out the fate of The Bookstore.
A beautiful documentary, full of connection, story-telling and humanity that will be continued for many chapters to come.
