Bookends & Beginnings in Evanston, Ill., has launched a fundraising campaign to counter what has been "an extremely challenging sales year," noting that the bookstore "needs your help to keep the doors open. As we adapt to a changing environment, your contribution will help us repair the damage from the past year, and your participation in our paid membership program will help provide stability as we move forward into the new year." The bookstore has raised over $45,000 toward its $60,000 goal thus far.
In a video message released this week, owner Nina Barrett said that "when people ask me how the store is doing, I usually say, 'We're holding our own.' And for 12 years that has been true. There have been a few emergencies, but we've survived them, and for the past three years it's been smooth sailing."
This year, however, has been different. "We're still not sure what exactly is going on, but the economy is obviously a huge problem," Barrett noted, adding that "sales have been slow this year that we are heading into the holiday season not sure if we will survive into the new year. We can usually count on holiday sales to keep us in the black, but if this year's holiday sales follow the pattern of the rest of the year, well, we'll be sunk."
On the fundraiser page, Bookends & Beginnings said that "downtown Evanston seems to be struggling more with its post-pandemic recovery than nearby neighborhoods like downtown Wilmette and Andersonville. Other stores and restaurants downtown are also hurting.... While we're looking forward to your holiday shopping soon, we're frankly worried that if the holiday season follows the pattern of decline from the earlier months of the year, we simply will not be able to keep our doors open beyond the New Year."