Updates

Image: Wild Rumpus storefront with Angela Davis quote painted on front window: "We must always attempt to lift as we climb."

Tuesday, April 4, 2022

As of today, April 4, 2023, Wild Rumpus will no longer be requiring customers to wear masks to shop in-store. We still strongly encourage and appreciate masking and will have masks available upon request. (We’ll keep a box stocked right inside our front doors!) Our booksellers will remain masked and we will continue to test ourselves regularly.

This decision comes as the federal emergency response expires. Unfortunately, we are unable to continue to spend thousands of dollars on masks to give away. We have shouldered the cost of supplying masks to keep our community safe even while PPE supplies have not been available to small businesses for free or at reduced costs. While we still believe masking is the best way to keep people safe, it is not financially feasible for our store to do this work alone.

Our mask policy has been difficult to enforce, so we want to say thank you to everyone who comes in with their mask, and we are so sorry to those folks who have told us we were one of the last places they felt comfortable shopping, either because of their own precautions or their disability or immunity status. Your messages of support have been incredibly heartening over the last few years, and your families have been at the forefront of our minds as we make this extremely difficult decision.

If you would like to book a private shopping appointment, please reach out to us by email at info@wildrumpusbooks.com. We are happy to accommodate you outside of our regular hours and will continue to make a safe and welcoming space for you. We know this puts an additional burden and inconvenience on you.

Our entire staff was involved in conversations about this change in policy and our number one priority will always remain the safety and health of the kiddos that visit us. We want every child to have access to books in which they can see themselves and their experiences represented. That priority will never change.

Thank you to everyone for sticking with us through the last few challenging years. We feel lucky to be part of such a vibrant and thoughtful community of readers.

—The Rumpians