Get Shelves, then SeeWhich Books Will Appear!

Hi, my name is Kristine, and I am fundraising to open an independent bookstore in the Phoebus Arts & Cultural District of Hampton, VA. The mission of SeeWhich Books is to promote historically underrepresented voices in literature and create a supportive space of discovery for people wanting to broaden their horizons.

A love of books and reading is in my blood. My mother spent her entire career as an educator, first as a teacher and then as a school librarian. My father, a Mexican-American who served in the U.S. Air Force and Civil Service after he and his family emigrated from Mexico in the 1960s, is also a lifelong reader. Growing up, a big night for our family was going out to dinner and stopping at the bookstore for a new book.

Like many people, the past few years have spurred a personal reckoning about who I am and the privileges I have been afforded. How can I use those privileges and combine them with my experiences as an accountant and bookseller and my passion for serving my community? In all my soul searching, every path led to...BOOKS!

Books have always been a way for me to time travel and shape-shift. As a child with undiagnosed ADHD, books helped explain complex human interactions and gave me comfort when the outside world wore me out. How could I not want to help others have the same experience?

Right now, the act and art of selling books that reflect diverse thoughts, experiences, and groups feels like radical action. Our right to fully and authentically express ourselves is being questioned; books are being pulled off library shelves. This is a big part of why I feel so passionately about making a place where people can be comfortable in their skin, or free to explore worlds and experiences outside their comfort zone.

SeeWhich Books will focus on:

• Adult and YA fiction from BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and Women authors

• Neurodiversity – Autism, ADHD, and other neurodiverse conditions

• A wide range of Children’s Books

• Graphic Novels for all ages

• Games, Puzzles, and Book-related gifts

Now here comes the hard part, for me, at least: asking for help. If you are a book person and introvert (like me), you know that putting yourself out there and waving your arms around for help is gut-wrenchingly hard. But you also know that big dreams need other people to help make them come true.

I believe so strongly in creating SeeWhich Books; therefore I am gladly and joyously asking for friends, family and future friends to join me in building this space. Your donation will fund the tech, supplies, equipment, fixtures and shelving that turn an empty space into a bookstore destination. Any and all amounts help and are deeply appreciated.

Have a beloved reader in your life? Dedicate a shelf or bench to them!

Help SeeWhich Books reach its goal of $45,296 and honor your beloved reader with a nameplate in the store!

All Donations – name on our donor wall

Donate $150 – nameplate on a single bookshelf

Donate $500 – nameplate on one of our window seats (four available)

There will be more fun book surprises along the way, too!

You can also help by spreading the word to your friends, family, and fellow readers – please consider sending them a link to donate. Thank you for your consideration, and for supporting a local business!