Beth Stroh, owner of Viewpoint Books in Columbus, Ind., and Katelyn Gosnell Richey, whose gift shop recently closed, "are asking their customers and supporters to help raise money to expand the bookstore into the former gift shop's storefront just down the street," the Republic reported.
A crowdfunding campaign called HUG--Help Us Grow--would help finance an expansion for the bookstore, which is located at 548 Washington St., into the former Ames Mercantile shop, across the street at 425 Washington St. Viewpoint has been in its current location for about 30 years, but the space is cramped and Stroh believes a second nearby storefront makes sense.
"When Beth approached me with an idea for expansion for Viewpoint and doing it in my space, nothing else made sense to me," Richey wrote in a Facebook post.
On Leap Day last week, Stroh posted on social media that in 2016, "we purchased Viewpoint Books from Susan and Terry Whittaker. We committed to continuing and expanding the gem of an indie bookstore they started in 1973.... On this 'extra' day of 2024, we're asking you to help us take a big LEAP so we can expand the work that brings such joy to so many.
"Quite simply, we've outgrown our signature shop on the corner of 6th and Washington. We love it--and we won't leave it--but we want to grow. We've found a second lovely storefront where we can expand our collections, improve accessibility, and grow our programs in a space founded on passion for community and love for those who came before us."
As of yesterday, more than $13,000 had been raised. Stroh said Viewpoint needs to be able to determine by mid-March whether it can make a lease commitment to Richey, adding: "We know that we will have to invest at least $35,000 to get the space ready before we can have the first sale."
Funds pledged by donors would be used to secure the space and equip it with bookshelves, displays and IT systems, among other things, the Republic wrote. If the crowdfunder is successful, Stroh hopes to have at least a soft opening of its new location on Independent Bookstore Day, April 27.
"We feel like we try to be a good neighbor and we try to attract people not just to Viewpoint Books, but to bring them downtown to support other local businesses," she said. "We need more space to keep building a stronger, more vibrant community. Our book groups, mobile book fairs, collaborative events like Silent Book Club, curated book collections, and gift selections need room to grow. As they do, we will better serve more neighbors and visitors in our community," the store says in its HUG campaign.
"Fifty-year-old small businesses in our community are rare," Stroh added. "The most important message I hope to communicate is that we simply want to do more to build community around books and... to keep growing."