The Blue Manatee Literacy Project in Cincinnati, Ohio, closed its physical bookshop on Monday after more than three decades in business. The children's bookstore had changed ownership in 2019 and reopened as the Blue Manatee Literacy Project, a nonprofit organization aimed at boosting local children's reading skills. The building's landlord recently notified BMLP that it intends to pursue other commercial plans for the bookstore space at 3094 Madison Road.
In a letter posted on social media, BMLP wrote: "While this development may have been beyond our control, it doesn't lessen our disappointment in seeing this community treasure close its doors. It has been our team's great joy and privilege to build and reinforce a lifelong love of reading through our stewardship of the Blue Manatee. We've been so heartened by the community's support for the store during this difficult two-year Covid period.... Our store team performed heroically to keep things moving and the spirit positive. But, as most of you know, operating a small, independent retail bookstore in the age of Amazon and, more recently, Covid, was not the purpose of establishing Blue Manatee Literacy Project in 2019.
"Three years ago, we proposed to reinvent the Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore as an engine of awareness and change," BMLP continued. "We were struck by the gap in reading resource access and lack of sustained literacy support for disadvantaged, school-aged children across Greater Cincinnati and vowed to contribute to turning that frustrating circumstance into a success story.... From that initial conceptual point to today, we have been blessed to have teamed with amazing individuals, partners, educators, parents, physicians, authors and artists to ensure that every resource a small bookstore could muster would be directed to leveling the literacy playing field."
While Blue Manatee's bricks-and-mortar chapter may have closed for now, the BMLP literacy mission will continue, remaining active in support of school partners, community engagement, program support and as a source of books via its online presence.
In a Facebook post Monday, BMLP noted: "We're sorry to say the time has come to say goodbye. We just want to say, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for every visit, every online order, every donation, every conversation, and everything in between! We have loved every minute of being your booksellers! Remember you can still order through our website at bluemanatee.org! Keep reading, friends!!!"