Help A Community Bookstore Stay Afloat

Updated Feb 2023: going forward, all funds raised will go towards expanding our in-store genre and reading level selection, supporting our ongoing community work with schools and other organizations, and our continued initiative to get a ramp/lift.

What Is Willow?

 

Willow is a bookstore named after Willow Rosenberg, a bisexual witch in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because she was the first character I saw as a child that reflected back to me the queerness I felt. Willow is a place to find yourself while also losing yourself, just as I was able to do watching Buffy past my bedtime all those years ago.

 

So many of us grew up without seeing a story that reflected our own experiences. Especially those from marginalized groups. Many of us also weren't raised with open conversations or education that could connect us to our identities. This reflection + education is vital to self-esteem, safety, and so many other integral things. In addition to this, being able to see others and learn about their experiences makes us more connected, accepting, and truly supportive of each other.

 

I opened Willow in September of 2021 with the hopes of creating a community space that brings the stories and education that we typically don't see enough of or have trouble accessing to the forefront. I've worked hard to curate a selection of diverse voices and stories, whether it's a fantasy novel that one can find both escape and validation in or a kid's book that teaches about gender identity.

 

 

What's Needed

 

The space I am in right now is very tiny. (It used to be for an ATM!) It's been perfect for small beginnings as someone who doesn't have much money or a lot of capacity for risk. But I always knew I would need a bigger space to incorporate the necessary seating and room for people to be able to find reprieve, not just in the book they're lost in, but also the space itself. Plus, my hope is to not just connect people with books, but to a community. A better, larger space to host events and workshops feels important to me to help foster that.

 

Growth has come quicker than expected. The support and need from the community has been overwhelming in the best way. Willow has quickly become very busy and a connecting point for many.

 

It's also become a resource for educators and teachers. Working with schools means larger orders which means I am constantly over capacity in terms of space. (Trying to pack four orders of fifty books each on one table with no storage space obviously isn't sustainable!)

 

Having a bigger space will not only make fulfilling these orders faster and more organized, but it will also allow me to have more shelf space to carry more reading levels. Right now, I have the space for a handful of books from a certain selection of genres. I only carry adult books and picture books, missing all the books in between. Which means there are a lot of people, particularly kids, teens, or those who need the visual aid of a graphic novel, who won't find books for themselves here. It also means when teachers order, I have to send them recommendation lists for their particular age group instead of them being able to browse what I have. Adding on reading levels and genres is a really important expansion that requires more space, but also all those first orders are costly.

 

Why Business Loans?

 

I have been working for the past few months on securing a bigger space and business loans to be able to grow the space and selection to overall expand what Willow can offer to the community. Finding a space was tricky but I did manage to find something that I'm excited about (you know that pink and black house on Osborne St?!) and signed the lease in April. I got the keys June 1st, however I haven't started any of the work as I have been quite held up by the business loan process.

 

 

One of the reasons why I started Willow was to create a job for myself that could be fully flexible to my life as a parent, especially one who shares time with my kids, so I want to spend as much of the time I have with them, with them. And a job that is fully flexible to me and my disability to work how and when I can. I started Willow still working my day job in tandem with starting the business and was recently able to transition to just working on Willow. Transitioning to paying myself from the business is a necessary step but hard step as it takes away from money I would spend on growing the business.

 

I didn't start Willow with a loan, so I don't have that cushion or extra for development sitting there. I used a tax refund to buy my first round of inventory and have grown it to what it is from just that. Now that there is need for expansion of the space, book selection, and staff, I require some type of business loan to access this necessary business development while still having enough to maintain what I've created so far and support myself.

 

The Barriers to Business Loans

 

The loan process has been difficult. Traditional bank loans aren't a possibility for me as someone who has gone through financial hardship and doesn't own things like a house or a car to act as collateral for the bank. Though I have a track record of being extremely careful and resourceful with little, I don't look the way a bank wants me to look on paper. Which is frustrating as I would say what I have been able to overcome should say something about my capacity, with my lack only making me smarter and more strategic.

 

I have also tried to work with loan organizations meant for small entrepreneurs and hit a new barrier. I was told my business is sexually explicit and therefore can't go through the loan process unless I placed great restrictions on my work. I initially tried to undergo this process as I felt it was my only option. However, I only got so far. It felt wrong and counterintuitive. I opened Willow because I wanted to create a place where people of all ages could freely talk about and learn about their bodies, identities, and sexuality and I won't compromise that.

 

I'm now working with a business loan organization that distributes money based on the business' stability and the soundness of the business plan, not any other arbitrary (i.e. whether or not I personally own property or a car) or subjective (i.e. there was no concrete definition of "sexually explicit"). They are in full support of Willow and can see that my business is secure and rapidly growing with great promise. The only catch is that the loans are smaller than what these other larger organizations offer, so it only gets me so far. Especially in these very expensive times we are living in with rising costs everywhere.

How The GoFundMe Works

 

So, here I am, trying to practice and model what Willow believes. This business is rooted in community care, so a mutual aid type of fundraiser felt more aligned with Willow’s values than concealing what we truly stand for.

 

The money from the GoFundMe will go towards:

- bookshelves

- paint (it's not just pink and black on the outside)

- adding the reading levels between adult and picture books

- adding a graphic novel section

- overall growing the selection of books since there will be more space to do so

- updating signage (currently pink flamingos all over the place...)

- seating so people can stay and use the space for reprieve, work, etc.

- additional seating for events and workshops

- working with an accessibility consultant + incorporating the elements they recommend

If there is anything leftover, it will go towards:

- a ramp/lift (in the process of applying for grants to hopefully have this built/installed as soon as funding comes through and it is the right season for the job to be done)

Ways to support that aren't monetary:

(Please email [email redacted] if you'd like to help in one of these ways and indicate the specific task you'd like to do.)

 

- help with painting

- moving from the current location to the new one (this will be the last week of August)

- general handiness to help with repairs (patching walls, removing carpet from stairs, fixing a platform that has holes in it, measuring walls, prepping for painting, etc.)

- lending paintbrushes/rollers, dropcloths, painters tape, paint trays, tools for general repairs

- general cleaning of the walls and flooring

- washing windows

 

More About Me & Willow's Overall Vision

 

I was an author before a bookstore owner and I want to continue my work publishing stories within the fantasy genre for adults and kids. I have a series I'm in the middle of releasing of reimagined famously villainous characters like Maleficent and Delilah. This series puts a spotlight on the ways certain traits, sexuality, and/or life experiences have been vilified by society. It's also an exercise in unpacking the effects of emotional abuse, gaslighting, and manipulation and what healing from that looks like. And, for kids, I've published a reimagined Robin Hood story that places Marian at the center and casts Robin as a woman. Together, the two of them use loud voices, anger, and other lesser-shown princess qualities to riot against the greedy, capitalistic Prince John. I also received a certificate in sex education and want to continue my education so that Willow's work connecting people with sex education that is decolonized, accessible, inclusive, and empowering can continue to grow.