 |
|
| Bliss Books owners La'Nae Robinson and La'Nesha Frazier. | |
La'Nesha Frazier and La'Nae Robinson, co-owners of Bliss Books & Wine, have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $40,000 with the goal of opening a physical location in Kansas City, Mo., in late spring. They announced the campaign in a social media post last week, noting: "With your help, we can begin our next chapter and set up shop in our beautiful brick-and-mortar location in midtown KC. Thank you again for believing in our dream and we look forward to celebrating with you on the other side!"
The sisters co-founded Bliss Books & Wine in May 2019, hosting quarterly pop-up events to test the market, generate buzz and establish connections within the community. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, they suddenly had no way to bring in revenue without the in-person events. A month later, they launched the Bliss Books & Wine website to feature books they had in stock slated for the pop-ups, ramped up their social media presence and increased online interactions with customers.
In addition, they began hosting virtual book discussions, which evolved into book club meetings and author events, as well as virtual paint and sips, online writing workshops and community fundraisers. Now they are ready to take the next step.
"So here we are," the sisters noted on their Kickstarter page. "We have this marvelous idea, a solid business plan, a community of excited patrons, and no place for them to patronize. Or do we??? (SPOILER ALERT: We've found a space!) What we need now is your help and your contributions to begin the next steps in bringing our dream to fruition. By contributing to our project, you're not only helping us deliver our bookstore and wine lounge, you're helping us deliver the gathering place the community longs for and deserves....
"We'd like to thank all of our partners within the Bliss community over the past 2.5 years. We appreciate you as major characters in our story and look forward to what's in store for us all. It is our sincere hope that this new space will allow us to reach a greater audience and continue our support of individuals and organizations like you."