Blinking Owl Books, Fort Myers, Fla., which suffered flood damage earlier this fall from Hurricane Helene, forcing owner Lucile Perkins-Wagel to leave her W. First St. storefront, has reopened in a new location at 1342 Colonial Blvd, Unit C18.
In a Facebook post, Perkins-Wagel wrote: "And just like that, we're back!! We still have some things to order and move around and hang and do, so our current state of opening is one that is still in a bit of flux, however, we're FINALLY open and able to share stories with y'all at a specific location... on a consistent and regular basis... so for that, our hearts are full!
"Thank you to everyone who helped us move things, and build things, and clean things! Thank you to everyone who shopped with us in-person at one of our pop-ups! Thank you to everyone who bought books from us online, both in their physical format and their audiobook format! Thank you to everyone who bought gift cards and merch! Thank you to everyone who donated to our GoFundMe! Thank you to everyone who shared our story and told their friends, family, coworkers, and casual acquaintances about us! Thank you to everyone in the community who supported us when things were really really REALLY hard, and gave us a place to land as we were looking for our new home! Thank you for your kind words, your check-ins, and your support!
"Thank you for all of this, and for so much more! We are so INCREDIBLY proud and thankful to be doing this work in this community here and now with all of you, and are committed to doing it for as long as we are able! Thank you for making our dreams come true!"