After years of setbacks, including one contractor absconding with a deposit and another severely underbidding, Cetonia Weston-Roy has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help bring Niche Book Bar, the bookstore and wine bar she founded in Milwaukee, Wis., in 2020, to the finish line.
The campaign, which is looking to raise $55,000, went live on Independent Bookstore Day and will run for 30 days. The money will go toward completing renovations on the building that Weston-Roy purchased at 1937 N. King Drive. Built in 1895 and spanning 2,640 square feet, the property is located in Milwaukee's Bronzeville neighborhood and was owned by the city before Weston-Roy bought it.
Weston-Roy emphasized that she already has half the funds needed to complete the renovations, with the crowdfunding campaign meant to provide the other half. In particular, raised funds will go toward contractor fees, carpentry, electrical work, drywall, doors, painting, and more.
Despite all the challenges, Weston-Roy said, the store's mission remains the same: centering Black books and authors that don't depend on trauma-based topics. The inventory will consist mainly of adult books, with a small children's section, and the selection will include an array of genres across both fiction and nonfiction.
She noted that personally, she's leaned a bit more heavily toward fantasy and science fiction in recent years, but the "vocalization, the mission statement," is the same now as it was a few years ago. There will still be wine, and a local winemaker will create a blend specifically for the store.
Once Niche Book Bar is fully open, Weston-Roy plans to host plenty of events, including author signings, book club meetings, and wine tastings, and community members will be able to book space in the store for their own events. Weston-Roy added that she's done pop-up appearances at various locations in Milwaukee while construction has dragged on, and she plans to do more this spring.
Weston-Roy's bookstore journey began in the summer of 2020, when she launched Niche Book Bar as a bookstore on wheels built out of a large tricycle. That fall she launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to help her sign a lease and open a bricks-and-mortar location, but the landlord balked at the necessary renovations and backed out. Weston-Roy went back to searching, intent on finding a space in Bronzeville.
In 2021, she found a city-owned property in Bronzeville that was listed for development proposals. Her proposal won and she "got the building," with the next step being renovations. Both the interior and exterior needed extensive work, and she found a contractor who was known in Milwaukee and had "positive reviews at the time of hiring." In 2022, that contractor "ran away" with around 40% of the funds (litigation is ongoing, Weston-Roy said).
Eventually she found another contractor, one recommended by a fellow business owner. What began as a "pleasant working relationship" also ended badly; Weston-Roy explained that the project was "underbid, mismanaged, and some things were found to not have been done to industry and city standards." This turn of events also led her to realize that the original contractor also severely underbid.
At present, things are "at a standstill," with the building's interior still needing a lot of work and Weston-Roy looking to raise funds and hire a new contractor. Despite all the difficulties, she is undeterred and remains intent on opening Niche Book Bar.
As things have dragged on over the years, grand opening dates have come and gone, and Weston-Roy admitted that when working on an update for her customers and community members, she's occasionally worried that they'll finally be fed up with waiting. Instead she's received "so much compassion, grace, and assurance." When she's at the building, people still routinely stop by to ask about the plans, and there is "unwavering excitement." --Alex Mutter