Story
When I was younger I found myself in the kitchen a lot with my dad. My dad was a Navy cook and also prepared our meals at home; these home cooked meals left a lasting impression on me. In college, I was one of the few students along with some friends who prepared meals with real food.  As I matured I became an avid home cook learning about various cultures and their cuisines. Professionally, I have worked in specialty retail and publishing for 20 years which I would attribute to how my interest in beautiful books and print developed. 

After working for the publishing house, TASCHEN, I traveled the world and was inspired by the bookstores, namely, and its relationship with the surrounding neighborhoods. These bookstores seem to operate as a shared space for the local residents. I have lived in South Pasadena off-and-on for 20 years and wanted to translate a similar connection for this community.  

I must admit finding the right space turned out to be daunting until a fateful cup of cold brew at 2 Kids Coffee, my neighborhood coffee bar.  They came upon some extra space and wanted to collaborate. We both share similar goals and a vision for our respective businesses and this led to a six-week PROSPECT pop-up in 2018. Many lessons were learned and I developed connections with the community as the weeks progressed. One of these connections led to a pop-up opportunity at Pacific Standard Time, a restaurant in Chicago, for the James Beard awards weekend in 2019.





Goals
In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, 2 Kids again came upon even more space and wanted PROSPECT to be part of their expansion plan! Here I’ll have my own space of 300 square feet to showcase special titles and kitchen items I have acquired over time and around the world. In particular, this space will shine a spotlight and focus on lesser known cuisines and their histories and BIPOC chefs.
With 2 Kids taking the lead with the build out, a lot of the issues of opening up a brick-and-mortar will be alleviated allowing me to concentrate on the bookstore itself. The goal I have set will be for the furniture, fixtures, and design for the store as well as any contingencies. Because of the limited space, book titles will be tightly curated and special yet offer an experience more profound and deeper than online destinations.



Risks and Challenges
The pandemic has created new challenges on how retail shops and businesses operate. We recognize that two main challenges will be: steady patronage and online retail options. We want to ensure our supporters that we are committed to our patrons having an optimal experience while adhering to safety policies set forth by local officials. Our vision is beyond just selling books and reducing customers to an algorithm. We want to create a community space to spark interest and discovery in culinary arts & traditions around the world. We are projecting between one to two months from build out to being fully operational. We will be sharing the space with, our dear friends, 2Kids Coffee. We are grateful to share the same vision and thankful to have the opportunity to pursue our dream.


Here's the project budget so you know exactly where your money is going:

Furniture: $4000
Shelving: $1500
Sound System: $2700
Insurance: $500
Contingency Rent: $4300

TOTAL: $13,000


We plan to thank those who donate with the following:

$5+: PROSPECT Bumper sticker
$20+: ANTHILL Fabric Gallery x PROSPECT Face Mask (while supplies last)
$30+: PROSPECT Tote Bag
$40+: PROSPECT T-shirt
$75+: PROSPECT T-shirt, Tote Bag, and Bumper Sticker
$100+: ANTHILL Fabric Gallery x PROSPECT Apron (while supplies last)
$300+: Neverending Balloon Book Ends or Cutting Board (while supplies last)
$500+: NOMA teak & felt Serving Tray (while supplies last)
$750+: NOMA ceramic Bowl Set of 3 (while supplies last)
$1000+: Jennifer Nocon ceramic Vessel (while supplies last)
$5000+: Netto x Nocon ceramic Lamp (while supplies last)