Archivist Books hosted a grand opening celebration last weekend in the shop's new location at 772 Monroe Ave in Rochester, N.Y. WHAM reported that "crowds of people showed up" for the celebration at the store, which "has several community initiatives, including a program that raises money for people to use in the store to reduce the financial barrier to literature."
"[We're] a way to support each other through community and get literature into the hands of people that might not have the funds for it," said owner Taylor Thomas.
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| Archivist Books owner Taylor Thomas | |
In an Instagram post, Thomas wrote: "Finally able to sit down and gather my thoughts! Yesterday was more than anything I could have dreamed of it being.... There's so many people I'd love to call out and thank personally because this store of mine has truly been one of community but it would be a list far too long. Everything from the paint on the walls to the chairs behind my counter have been donated or done by the hands of people who believe in my dream. And the PANTRY?!? I went in today to start organizing and have already created some bags to share with various pantries and orgs because redistribution is always the goal. I just want to say thank you so so much for showing up for me yesterday. It will be a core memory for me 1000% and I’m so excited to continue creating this space with all of you."
Last summer, Thomas had announced plans to convert a vintage 1968 Globestar trailer into a mobile bookstore for new and used books. In September, Thomas noted that while that project was still underway, they had decided to open Archivist Books in a physical space at Luna Cooperative art space.
In a January update, Thomas shared the news about the move to the Monroe Ave. storefront, noting that the "new move has also forced me to look at my original idea of a trailer and figure out how that factors into my long-term plans.... I've decided to pivot. My main goal of mobility was to make books accessible to people who otherwise wouldn't have the option to come visit stores in person. With this in mind, I've decided to partner with ten local city schools. I will be buying and placing little free libraries at each one. I will stock them with books every month, making sure that the books are diverse in both content and language. I am SO excited to embark upon this new aspect of mobility as it seems to lead me exactly where I was hoping to be with my trailer. If it weren't for the donations I received, none of this would be possible. I will be taking every cent from selling my trailer towards the funding of this new project. Again, I thank you for your belief in me and your trust in my vision."
Regarding the new storefront, Thomas wrote: "I have thought of ways to truly be in community. I want to embody this as an action, not just something I say because. As I said, change is both equal parts exciting and terrifying. I have so much that I want to do with Archivist and this is just the beginning. I don't use the word radical because nothing I'm doing is radical. This work has been done by black and queer people for decades and I am just continuing what they’ve created. To me, that is an honor I don't take lightly."