An all-ages bookstore called Rooted Books & Gifts opens this week in Grand Island, Neb., the Grand Island Independent reported.
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| Danielle Helzer | |
Store owner Danielle Helzer, whose background is in education and community advocacy, is welcoming customers for the first time. Located at 315 N. Locust St., the shop sells all-new titles with an emphasis on diverse stories and representation.
Helzer hopes to make Rooted a community hub and third place, particularly for teenagers and young people. Her event plans include author readings, multilingual storytime sessions, teen book clubs, open mic nights, creative writing workshops, and more.
Helzer explained that the recent surge in book bans motivated her to open a bookstore. "I wanted to open this bookstore right now as a way to combat the attempts to ban, remove, or challenge books."
Last fall Helzer won an annual event called Big Pitch Grand Island, in which entrepreneurs pitch their business plans in a style based on the TV show Shark Tank. She was awarded a $5,000 prize and made valuable community connections.
Helzer has a grand opening celebration scheduled for Saturday, September 21.