Frugal Bookstore in Roxbury, Mass., which launched a GoFundMe campaign late last week to help restore its children's section following a fire, has suspended donations after raising $57,413, nearly double the initial goal of $30,000.
"I'm speechless because it's like wow, the love that we're receiving from our community and not just our community but all over the country," store co-owner Clarissa Cropper told NECN over the weekend. "People really have been showing us so much support and we're very thankful for it."
On February 12, a mattress fire broke out in an apartment above the bookstore. The building's sprinkler system caused extensive water damage to Frugal Bookstore's children's, young adult and early reader section, which Cropper said is the store's most popular. She and store co-owner Leonard Egerton will put the raised funds toward replenishing stock as well as replacing damaged furnishings.
The only Black-owned bookstore in Boston, Frugal Bookstore has "the largest and most diverse collection of African American children's literature" in the city.