Help Re-Establish Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop!

In July 2024, an EF-2 tornado touched ground in Rome, NY. This tornado caused "severe damage" to over 80 buildings and residences in the Downtown vicinity. 236 W. Dominick Street, home to Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop, was seriously impacted by this disaster. The build's owner, the Capitol Arts Complex, is eager to reach a complete insurance settlement and fully revive the three of its buildings that are still unable to be occupied ASAP (these three buildings had housed Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop, Copper Luxe Boutique, Cinema Capitol, Shed Wise Music, the Rome Art Association, the Rising Stars youth theater program, the Capitol's "SummerStage" program, and the "Capitolfest" dealer's room). There is a lot to be done, and we're nearing the settlement! Thus far, the Bookshop building has had its roof replaced. We're looking forward to the replacement of severely damaged flooring, drywall, window framing and glass, the HVAC system, and much more.

We're extremely grateful to all who contributed to our first post-tornado campaign. However, we are reaching out because that campaign was done without understanding the full scale of what occurred. Much (actually, most) of our property was damaged or destroyed by the tornado or in the aftermath of moving to a temporary space. Despite having ample insurance, the payout for our property was far less than our investment (by thousands). We're looking for help from the community to re-establish a wonderful space where we can not only sell books, but bring the community together and further strengthen our relationships with nonprofit partners and small business collaborators!