After a valiant effort to stay open over the past few days, the Tattered Cover will be closing all locations (other than at the airport) on March 16. The beloved bookstore will continue to offer its services through tatteredcover.com, and all orders over $10 will be shipped for free.

The Sie FilmCenter also announced today that it is suspending operations until April 3, when the nonprofit will re-evaluate the decision.

The Tattered Cover and Sie announcements came after Mayor Michael Hancock shut down all events of over fifty people in Denver until May 11 (venues, bars and restaurants that aren't offering to-go or delivery are also closed), and the White House recommended avoiding gatherings of more than ten people, all in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Here's the news from the Tattered Cover:

Due to the public health crisis, and out of concern for our customers and staff, Tattered Cover is closing our Colfax Avenue, Historic LoDo, Union Station, and Littleton (Aspen Grove Shopping Center) locations as of 6:00 p.m. today. We will reassess the situation in two weeks, and make a decision about re-opening or extending the closure at that time. And of course, during this time, all previously scheduled events are canceled.

We will, however, continue to serve you through our website, TatteredCover.com. Any order over $10 will be shipped for free via USPS media mail. We are also working on a plan to allow you to pick-up books curbside at specific TC locations on a limited schedule. The website is available to you 24/7.

And really, has there ever been a better time to stack up on good books to read?

We are also going to take tomorrow, March 17, and work out a schedule to staff phones at certain locations as well. While we will not allow customers in the store, and will not open our cash registers, we will be able to accept credit card payments online or over the phone and walk books to your car.

If you have already paid for a book, or have a book on hold, we'll contact you over the next few days to determine whether you would like that book shipped, or would like to make arrangements to pick it up curbside.

While we know we're doing the right thing for our staff, customers, and the community, it was not a decision easily reached. Bookstores are low margin businesses, and closing for any extended period of time will impact not only the health and well being of Tattered Cover, but our individual employees as well. We will share information in the coming days on how best to use our website — as well as some recommended reading, and possibly even information on some remote, digital-only events — and how you can continue to support the store in the uncertain days ahead.

In the meantime, know that you, our customers, are in our thoughts, and that we stand with you in the face of the crisis, even if we can't be in the same room.

Stay tuned for more, and as always, thanks for supporting Tattered Cover.

Len & Kristen

And here's the full statement from the Sie FilmCenter:

In response to the ongoing health concerns related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we have made the very difficult decision to temporarily suspend operations at the Sie FilmCenter, postponing all scheduled screenings until April 3 when we will reassess the situation.

Guests who have purchased tickets to scheduled screenings are eligible for a full credit to a future screening at the Sie within the next 12 months. As a not-for-profit organization, we would also ask that you please consider your existing ticket purchase a donation to our organization. These donations are critical to helping us maintain and support our staff through this crisis and your consideration and donation is greatly appreciated.

As you know, we view each and every one of you as an extension of our family and we care deeply about each of you and our community as a whole. This is a fast changing and evolving situation and our top priority remains the health, wellness, and safety of our audiences and staff.

Our leadership team will continue to closely monitor developments about the virus and evaluate recommended steps from the appropriate healthcare organizations, including the World Health Organization; CDC Coronavirus; CDC COVID-19 FAQ and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

As more information becomes available, updates to our operations and event status will be conveyed via email and will also be posted on the Denver Film website and via our social media platforms: Facebook; Twitter; and Instagram.

You can also call or email Denver Film at: [email protected] or 720-381-0813.

Thank you for your continued support of Denver Film. We hope that you and your network of family and friends stay safe and healthy through this and we look forward to having you back in our theaters soon.