Hello Friends,

 

I've had a long and challenging road to say the least in the first three years of opening Books Around the Corner. We started here:

 

 

 

It feels like a decade a go but it was only a few years that I opened on 2nd Street. Only a little after COVID hit I went from thriving to surviving. I tried a number of different ways to stay in business including building our online shop from 1 item to now thousands of them. I transitioned our book clubs to all be virtual and provided curbside pickup along with local delivery.

 

Even with all of that it didn't make financial sense to renew the lease as I still wasn't able to be open to the public so I moved over by Gresham High School. I survived through offering shopping by appointment only and curbside pickup. It was a tiny but mighty space of only about 500 square feet. This photo was taken the first Independent Bookstore Day I did virtually and with door pickup and the support I received as incredible.

 

 

 

The lease was coming up and I started looking for a new space and found one off of Burnside. I really wanted to create a space again that you all could come into. I was really optimistic but as I'm sure you may remember on what should have been an exciting move in day I showed up to this:

 

 

 

 

 

I had to temporarily close and was devastated. I know we all have suffered on different levels due to COVID and I have generalized and social anxiety, depression, and some medical issues that have made everything even more challenging but I didn't want to give up. Since then it has been an uphill battle to get anything done by our landlord. I only have just now gotten signage but even that isn't complete since there's no visibility at night. So for a lot of reasons we've decided to terminate the lease there.

 

Right around that time I stumbled upon a listing that maybe I would have missed otherwise for a building TO BUY. The good news is Books Around the Corner will be returning very close to where it opened but I don't want to rent I want to buy this building and I need your help.

 

A new permanent location for Books Around the Corner would provide me with the opportunity to keep a bookstore in Gresham long term. I have spent so much of my own investment beyond monetary into Books Around the Corner. My time, my tears, and every ounce of my heart and soul are part of this shop. I want to continue helping you discover new books, making lasting friends, and provide a community of readers with book clubs, book subscriptions, and fun virtual events for years to come.

 

 

When I opened Books Around the Corner it all started with one small loan. Now three years later, Books Around the Corner is still here fighting the good fight. I'm still fighting the good fight and with your help, devotion, and commitment to Books Around the Corner we've made it this far. We've made it a pillar in the Gresham community. It's yours as much as it is mine. None of us would even want to imagine it no longer being here.

 

 

In the past three years Books Around the Corner has:

 

I thank you for your support and look forward to many more years as your bookseller here at Books Around the Corner in Gresham. And don’t be shy about sharing this link; we can use all the help we can get.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

Sincerely,

 

Stephanie & Spooky