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THE MATHIS REPORT
A greatDaily time to read a Record good book JACKSONVILLE
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Special to the Daily Record
Ron Chamblin is keeping Chamblin’s Bookmine open with online, social media and telephone orders. He’s doing some local deliveries on his HarleyDavidson motorcycle.
Ron Chamblin is keeping his Bookmine rolling by opening a virtual store and offering delivery. BY MAX MARBUT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
One of the takeaways from the COVID-19 “shelter in place” mandatory lifestyle is that it’s a great time to read a good book. That’s keeping the cash register ringing at Chamblin’s Bookmine at 4551 Roosevelt Blvd. It’s temporarily closed to customers who want to browse the stacks, so Ron Chamblin and a small staff are operating a virtual bookstore. Downtown at 215 N. Laura St., Chamblin’s
Uptown bookstore and cafe is closed. “We’re sequestered at Roosevelt. We were selling out the door with curbside pickup, but we stopped that when the shelter in place started. We had to close Downtown,” Chamblin said. He temporarily sent home about 18 members of his 23-person staff. Orders are taken online, through the store’s Facebook page and by telephone, then shipped or hand-delivered, sometimes by Chamblin on his motorcycle. “We’re doing 20% to 50% of our normal sales, but the overhead is low, other than payroll, and my electricity bill is lower,” Chamblin said. He’s working with his lenders for short-term extensions on his loans and said he’ll probably
KEEPING CLOSE – FROM A DISTANCE Since March 13, city event venues, stores, restaurants, malls, entertainment centers, churches and businesses shut down and laid off workers or sent them home to telecommute to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Daily Record will report how local small business owners are dealing with the imposed social isolation.
SEE CHAMBLIN, PAGE 2
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Ashourian buys block in Springfield The investor is marketing the former NatureForm warehouse for uses that could include a distillery or brewery. Investor Justin Ashourian bought an Ocean Street warehouse in Springfield and is marketing the city block for lease. The building formerly housed NatureForm, a hatchery technology company that moved to North Jacksonville. Ashourian paid $615,000 for the 29,000-square-foot building at 925 Ocean St., which fronts northeast State and Ocean streets. The 1.58-acre block comprises the warehouse, built in 1950, and several small structures. “I really like the real estate. It’s a full city block,” Ashourian said April 8. The site is at Ocean, State, Newnan and Orange streets. He said it is positioned well for a distillery or brewery, two uses that are on trend. “We are open to any kind of uses,” he said, noting that the block has an enclosed parking area like a courtyard. “We are opportunistic and the building is available,” he said. Through 925 Ocean LLC, he SEE MATHIS, PAGE 2
Construction permit for Florida Blue parking garage The city issued a permit April 8 for construction of the Florida Blue parking garage at 800 Forest St. in Brooklyn. Danis Builders LLC is the contractor for the almost $12.27 million project, comprising a four-level, 869-space, 269,080-squarefoot garage on 2.32 acres. Florida Blue currently uses a 4½-acre surface lot along Riverside Avenue that it will sell to Fidelity National Information Services Inc. for construction of a $145 million headquarters.
VOLUME 107, NO. 103 • ONE SECTION