Blue Manatee children's bookstore, Cincinnati, Ohio, which changed ownership in January, will reopen April 2 as the Blue Manatee Literacy Project, "a nonprofit organization aimed at boosting local children's reading skills," WCPO reported, adding that the store will still have "many of the staff members that regulars at the Oakley bookstore know and love."
"The vibe of the space will be the same. It's going to be this great hub for parents and children to come into, shop for books, find gifts, come to author signings. But there's this whole bigger mission, this whole bigger drive," said Amanda Kranias, one of two directors overseeing the project.
The team behind the nonprofit calls that mission "curated literacy," according to co-director Kevin Kushman, who added that the idea is to connect books and experiences for children between the ages of four and eight who are at risk of falling behind in reading. For every book that someone buys at Blue Manatee, the nonprofit will donate another book to a needy student. Instruction and mentoring will also be provided.
"Allowing them to grow into their skills so they're as proficient as possible once they get to school age," said Kushman, who had proposed transforming the store into a nonprofit to former owners Dr. John Hutton and Sandra Gross. They loved the idea.
"Blue Manatee's really being reimagined," Kushman noted. "You're supporting literacy as soon as you enter the store."
Kranias and Kushman did not know each other until Hutton introduced them and suggested they should work together, WCPO reported. Along with members of the nonprofit's board of directors, they are seeking the community's "unbridled enthusiasm" for the new mission, whether helping with governance, programs or money.
"When people come in, they will feel like, 'oh great--we're in the Blue Manatee! It's still here!' " Kranias said. "But at the same time, 'we've done something good today.' "