Upwards and Onwards: A Future 4 Xtian W.Z. Reader

At what point is keeping up not enough anymore? I have bills to pay, future to plan, and right now, in my current situation - i need a big change. I need money to make that happen. I need to move out of the apartment I'm in now, January would be awesome. I'm preparing to make some very bold moves for the store and for myself that I hope will get me to my next stage. I want a place for me to be. I want to have my dog. I want to be comixmonger. I had been invited to move away last year and earlier this year. I seriously considered it, and decided - no, I'm comixmonger and no - i built stuff here, on the western Mass. The shop reminds me of my poor dead ma, how she died, and how I found closure. It reminds of a cherished time when we thought we could anything as long as we worked together. The shop reminds me of the community we get to be a part of, and the work we do to honor that relationship. The store means to me the life I built with others as an adult after the passing of my poor ma.

I know what it means to me, it took me forever to feel proud of it. For a long time I couldn't feel it. People would say "xtian, you own a comics shop why are you so serious now?" and it's because we've never made a lot of money, working with my passion / hobbies as a small business owner kinda hollowed me out in some ways at times. When people tell me they're kids learned to read with our books, or when a regular passes, and their family comes to us and says we were a joy in their loved one's life. When we get to work with schools and libraries and book through bars, when i get to live the "comics are for everyone" life, by making comics be places for free that they wouldn't have been otherwise. The Mask Up! project, the street fights, the pop ups, the block parties and every new comic book day - do you know we've had 468 new comic book days since we opened? THATS A LOT OF COMICS...

What I'm getting at is my problems are interconnected. I cant get myself right until I get the store right, but I need to move and resettle nearby. I accept that I probably won't get to stay in Easthampton. I have improved my credit score by 12 points in the last couple months. I'm not giving up a goddamn thing. I need help to make it work.

The gift giving season is coming. There's so many ways to help - share the store's posts, interact, react and share. People wanna buy you comics but not sure which ones? we have gift certificates! also our dedicated staff are here for you! we love to do a little gift curration!

Another way you can help is I have reopened my gofundme. The funds get used for either keeping my head above water or the store's. I'm not dead yet. I'm xtian w.z. reader, sometimes called comixmonger and i am alive and I want to live! Trust me - i'll be worth the wait. Thank you so much for reading and your support. Sending love and solidarity.