The new lease doesn't officially start until March 1, 2015. The place we'll be leasing for the bookstore is in the Brooks Plaza. It is on East Avenue, basically just behind the Wellsboro Diner. If you turn onto East Avenue from Main Street, and are heading east towards Weis and eventually out of town to Mansfield, then just on your left, of course, will be the Diner. Then, a big old building which has housed "Etc. Antiques" for 41 years! Next is "The Brooks Plaza". Thirty years ago, this was a gas station. Dave Brooks bought it, fixed it up pretty well, and turned it into a little... strip mall, for lack of a better term. It currently houses an acupuncturist, a massage therapist, an office building, a fish store (small pet store), and Huffman's Office Products. Verizon used to take up a big middle section, but they consolidated with their store in Mansfield, and moved out 7-8 months ago.
Brooks Plaza will work pretty well for all of us. Dave Brooks is a straight-shooter, helpful landlord, and good business man. The store has big windows (the cats will love it!!), good square footage, great off-street parking, lower utility bills, handicap accessibility (finally!), and LESS ambient noise.
People have already been asking how they can help. Kevin and I will be doing several posts about this -- blog posts, facebook posts, email newsletters -- but here's a short list, with a few thoughts we'll expand on later. We can't express our gratitude enough. We will try to "pay you back" by staying in Wellsboro, and continuing to do a great job. We will keep offering you the service, events, and selection you enjoy.
This is how everyone can help:
*buy books from us, especially in the next 1-3 months: we have new, used, audio, AND ebooks!
*buy a membership
*buy someone else a membership
*keep custom ordering from us
*buy gift certificates
*sign up for the email newsletter, or follow us on facebook
*tell people that we're moving, not closing, and that we have big plans for expansion in 2015 and 2016
*keep shopping with us!
*order with us instead of ordering with the Evil Empire
*watch our short web series on youtube: "From My Shelf vs. the Evil Empire"
*come to help us pack up our books, from the shelves upstairs, when we post/share dates for accomplishing that
*load boxes into cars & trucks
*drive a car or truck
*loan us any "handtrucks" or things with wheels that make it easier to move both lots of boxes and/or big furniture
*build a few new shelves in the new locations (custom-fit, but fairly easy, just pine boards, like we already have on the walls at 25 Main)
*donate to the teen book club -- either sponsor a book for a kid, or buy refreshments for a monthly meeting
*tell us jokes and keep us laughing
*be patient with the fact that we won't be able to schedule any trade-ins for a couple of months
We'll have some specific dates letting people know when we most need volunteers to help pack or move things. Thank you, in advance, for your help. If you want to help but can't lift much, we can still use your help -- packing boxes, or doing some volunteer work at the store while others are lifting ... you can call custom orders, or just answer the phone. This will be a community effort, because we ARE a community. We are our community's bookstore.
"And God help you if you are a phoenix
And you dare to rise up from the ash
A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy
While you are just flying past..." --32 Flavors, folk-rock song, Ani DiFranco
We will be phoenixes, dear ones!
--by Kasey Cox, manager
From My Shelf Books & Gifts
www.wellsborobookstore.com
HOORAY!!!!
ReplyDeleteYAY!
ReplyDeleteWishing you so much luck!
ReplyDeletethanks!
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