Adventure Bound: Bookstore Launch
Donation protected
Approximately 8 years ago, Morganton closed a chapter as it bid farewell to its Independent Bookstore. With Adventure Bound Books (ABB), we aim to write a new chapter for our town with the opening of a new Independent Bookstore in downtown. More than a retail store, ABB will collaborate with other local businesses and leaders, with teachers and counselors, with homeschool families and artists to bring community events, youth programming, writing contests, and more to Morganton. We will be a place for Book Clubs to gather and ponder the complexities of their latest read and for writers to sit a while and create their masterpieces. Story time will offer children a chance to hear their favorite classics and new books read and we hope to offer regular story time readings in Spanish as well. We are about offering our community more than just a place to come and buy a book. We are about building relationships with each of you, getting to know what you like to read or what type of item you are on the search for, making recommendations that fit your needs. We are about each of you and we are about our community, striving to find ways to make it a better place. Every dollar raised from the community of supporters in support of this project and in support of helping us turn a dream into a reality, is a dollar we won't have to borrow from the bank which, in turn, enables us to do even more for our community through the bookstore.
While we had planned for an August opening, and had written our Business Plan accordingly, the Landlord has asked for us to open by the end of May. Because of the timeline change we're asking for help to get to the finish line on time!
Expenses
We have a blank slate to work with, of sorts! While there was a retail store in the space previously, nothing was left behind. This means we'll be building and buying bookcases and display units, furniture and technology to bring you the books, merchandise, and perks (think coffee!) you're wanting. There is also the need to update the interior, specifically the floor, to make the space more dog friendly for those of you who like to shop with your furry friends, and to make the space more durable over time as we welcome the community in for programs and events as well as shopping.
Floors & Ceilings - $2,500
Furniture/Bookscases - $6,000
Technology - $2,000
Additional start up costs - $50,000
(merchandise, zoning permits, utilities start up, branding, marketing and promotions, store sign)
Personal monies invested to date - $6,000
Funds from this campaign will go to directly cover the expenses listed above in the order that will advance progress of the project towards our opening date.
We are committed to making this dream a reality and have already begun some of the renovations, as well as invested in branding and marketing to boost our launch. Below is the current state of the space as floor renovations are underway!

Renovations are underway!
Initial Funding Goal: $5,000
Stretch Goal 1: $15,000
Stretch Goal 2: $25,000
New to GoFundMe, we've set our goal at a modest level. As you can see, however, there are many more expenses beyond the initial funding goal to keep the project moving forward. We are grateful beyond words for any all support in helping make this dream a reality!
Follow us on Instagram (@adventureboundbooks), Twitter (@AdvBoundBooks), and our Facebook Page (@adventureboundbooks) for updates and more information. Our website is currently being updated; visitors can subscribe to the website and receive monthly newsletters and updates directly to their email as well.
Check out one of these articles/posts about the bookstore: http://bookweb.org/news/around-indies-103584 or http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3207#m39785 or http://www.morganton.com/news/adventure-bound-books-to-bring-new-novels-to-town/article_5e31d5b8-26f9-11e8-a8bb-779994c48d34.html.
Pictures from Meet and Greet/Idea Share
We asked the community to come out to the store and share their ideas for what the bookstore could bring to town and offer. The response was positively overwhelming!

Idea Scroll

Giveaways at the Meet and Greet
Reward Pictures - ALL REWARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE JUNE/JULY 2018 and can only be shipped within the US.
Below you'll see the bookmark reward, mug, and shelf nameplate rewards (pictures are digital renderings of the actual, final products).

Two-sided Bookmark Reward

13 oz Ceramic Campfire Mug Reward

Priceless Custom Nameplate for Bookshelf - Honor a Loved One or Yourself!
* Bookstore owner retains the right to ask donar to change inscription or refund donation and not offer the award if the requested inscription is vulgar, obscene, or not family friendly.*
About Me
Who is behind the project idea Adventure Bound Books? I'm Angela Shores, and I'd like to share with you a little about myself.
I was that child who got in trouble for bringing her book to the supper table, who had to be shouted at to get her attention because she was so engrossed in her book, and the kid the school librarian loaned books to before she put the check-out card in them. I've loved books my entire life and talking to other people about books is thrilling! My love for books and reading sparked my love for learning, which led to the pursuit of three college degrees - a bachelor's, a masters, and my PhD. I've spent a decade teaching and in the course of that journey, created a new training program for counselors at a university where I taught previously. The program is still successfully recruiting, teaching, and graduating students. Alongside of teaching as a college professor, I operated an independent mental health counseling practice. As you can see, starting successful projects and programs is something I have some experience with, and these ventures have taught me skills I can apply to the current undertaking. You can see more about my experiences and leadership on my LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-shores-phd-lpc-24435b2/.
"So why open a bookstore?" you might ask; "it is quite a different venture than what you were doing before.". Well, I'm glad you asked! I wanted a bookstore in my town, where I could go and write, where the family and I could pick up our newest books, and where I could purchase great gifts for my children's friends for birthdays and special occasions. Nothing like that existed that didn't require a significant drive to another town. Seeing a need in our community, I decided to do something about it. I wanted to create a place where writers of all ages can gather to create and discuss, share their writings with others through poetry nights and writing contests. I wanted a gathering place for children to hear stories read to them, where they could explore new books and in them, new ideas. I wanted to offer the community a place to share ideas about the books they've read and in doing so, encourage them to change their world by beginning right here in our community.
My resourcefulness, creativity, and determination will guide this project to completion. My commitment to my community and being more than just a retail store will ensure that we remain a successful resource to our customers.
While we had planned for an August opening, and had written our Business Plan accordingly, the Landlord has asked for us to open by the end of May. Because of the timeline change we're asking for help to get to the finish line on time!
Expenses
We have a blank slate to work with, of sorts! While there was a retail store in the space previously, nothing was left behind. This means we'll be building and buying bookcases and display units, furniture and technology to bring you the books, merchandise, and perks (think coffee!) you're wanting. There is also the need to update the interior, specifically the floor, to make the space more dog friendly for those of you who like to shop with your furry friends, and to make the space more durable over time as we welcome the community in for programs and events as well as shopping.
Floors & Ceilings - $2,500
Furniture/Bookscases - $6,000
Technology - $2,000
Additional start up costs - $50,000
(merchandise, zoning permits, utilities start up, branding, marketing and promotions, store sign)
Personal monies invested to date - $6,000
Funds from this campaign will go to directly cover the expenses listed above in the order that will advance progress of the project towards our opening date.
We are committed to making this dream a reality and have already begun some of the renovations, as well as invested in branding and marketing to boost our launch. Below is the current state of the space as floor renovations are underway!
Renovations are underway!
Initial Funding Goal: $5,000
Stretch Goal 1: $15,000
Stretch Goal 2: $25,000
New to GoFundMe, we've set our goal at a modest level. As you can see, however, there are many more expenses beyond the initial funding goal to keep the project moving forward. We are grateful beyond words for any all support in helping make this dream a reality!
Follow us on Instagram (@adventureboundbooks), Twitter (@AdvBoundBooks), and our Facebook Page (@adventureboundbooks) for updates and more information. Our website is currently being updated; visitors can subscribe to the website and receive monthly newsletters and updates directly to their email as well.
Check out one of these articles/posts about the bookstore: http://bookweb.org/news/around-indies-103584 or http://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3207#m39785 or http://www.morganton.com/news/adventure-bound-books-to-bring-new-novels-to-town/article_5e31d5b8-26f9-11e8-a8bb-779994c48d34.html.
Pictures from Meet and Greet/Idea Share
We asked the community to come out to the store and share their ideas for what the bookstore could bring to town and offer. The response was positively overwhelming!
Idea Scroll
Giveaways at the Meet and Greet
Reward Pictures - ALL REWARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE JUNE/JULY 2018 and can only be shipped within the US.
Below you'll see the bookmark reward, mug, and shelf nameplate rewards (pictures are digital renderings of the actual, final products).
Two-sided Bookmark Reward
13 oz Ceramic Campfire Mug Reward
Priceless Custom Nameplate for Bookshelf - Honor a Loved One or Yourself!
* Bookstore owner retains the right to ask donar to change inscription or refund donation and not offer the award if the requested inscription is vulgar, obscene, or not family friendly.*
About Me
Who is behind the project idea Adventure Bound Books? I'm Angela Shores, and I'd like to share with you a little about myself.
I was that child who got in trouble for bringing her book to the supper table, who had to be shouted at to get her attention because she was so engrossed in her book, and the kid the school librarian loaned books to before she put the check-out card in them. I've loved books my entire life and talking to other people about books is thrilling! My love for books and reading sparked my love for learning, which led to the pursuit of three college degrees - a bachelor's, a masters, and my PhD. I've spent a decade teaching and in the course of that journey, created a new training program for counselors at a university where I taught previously. The program is still successfully recruiting, teaching, and graduating students. Alongside of teaching as a college professor, I operated an independent mental health counseling practice. As you can see, starting successful projects and programs is something I have some experience with, and these ventures have taught me skills I can apply to the current undertaking. You can see more about my experiences and leadership on my LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-shores-phd-lpc-24435b2/.
"So why open a bookstore?" you might ask; "it is quite a different venture than what you were doing before.". Well, I'm glad you asked! I wanted a bookstore in my town, where I could go and write, where the family and I could pick up our newest books, and where I could purchase great gifts for my children's friends for birthdays and special occasions. Nothing like that existed that didn't require a significant drive to another town. Seeing a need in our community, I decided to do something about it. I wanted to create a place where writers of all ages can gather to create and discuss, share their writings with others through poetry nights and writing contests. I wanted a gathering place for children to hear stories read to them, where they could explore new books and in them, new ideas. I wanted to offer the community a place to share ideas about the books they've read and in doing so, encourage them to change their world by beginning right here in our community.
My resourcefulness, creativity, and determination will guide this project to completion. My commitment to my community and being more than just a retail store will ensure that we remain a successful resource to our customers.
Organizer
Angela Shores
Organizer
Morganton, NC
