Canadian bookseller Mabel's Fables Bookstore, which opened in 1988 at 662 Mount Pleasant Road location in Toronto, has launched a C$150,000 (US$108,000) GoFundMe campaign to help finance an impending move down the street, to 540 Mount Pleasant Road. The current location will close permanently on August 23.
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| Mabel's Fables' current location | |
"A move is not our preference but out of necessity, as our landlord has informed us of their intention to build a condominium in the next two years," owner Eleanor LeFave wrote on the GoFundMe page. "Our building will be demolished. While our landlords say they will find us a temporary location during construction, we know that could be even harder to recover from."
The new store will be on one level, with extra room for events. Mabel's Fables 2.0 "will have the same feel, the same wonderful books, the same wonderful people and kids, and the same hard-working bookstore cat," LeFave noted.
Money raised through the crowdfunding campaign will go toward renovations to the new space; custom bookshelves, display furniture, signage and new computers; moving costs; and income that will be lost during the week the store is closed for the move.
In an Instagram post, Mabel's Fables noted: "While we are a little heartbroken to be saying goodbye to our original location of 37 years, we know Mabel's Fables 2.0 will be just as magical a place for families to come and develop their love of reading as Mabel's has ever been!"
"I just feel relieved that we've been able to move on the same street," LeFave told CP24. "I expect that everything will be a little exciting for a while, while everybody comes to see the new spot. We'll just carry on and we'll be looking after families for another generation or two."