An Indiegogo campaign created earlier this month by Kimberly and Rebecca George, sisters and co-owners of Volumes Bookcafe in Chicago, Ill., had reached $24,785, or about 41% of funding, as of Thursday afternoon. The George sisters still have another month left to hit their $60,000 goal.
The sisters started the campaign in order to ensure the store's survival in the years ahead, after incurring heavy costs leading up to and since the store's opening in March 2016. According to the Chicago Tribune, those costs included a "$20,000 heating and cooling upgrade" and "countless, costly plumbing fixes" for their building, which dates back to 1883.
As part of their efforts to raise $60,000, the Georges have enlisted the help of authors both local and national. The Tribune reported that Roxane Gay has donated two bundles of signed books and poet Eve Ewing performed a live preview of her new work. Other writers who have also contributed include Jonathan Eig, Audrey Niffenegger, Julia C. Johnson and Renee Rosen.
Looking ahead, Rebecca and Kimberly George plan to create a community supported bookstore program, based on the same principle as a CSA, and to begin publishing literary anthologies. The first such anthology, Bookstore Erotica, will be released this spring and is among the rewards for campaign backers.