Is there anything we can do?
Our favorite bookstore, Bookery II, is a locally-operated gem in Ithaca, NY. It has a cafe, events and readings, and a knowledgeable staff who care about their products and who genuinely love to read. It's also going out of business.
We patronize the store every trip we take to Ithaca, several times a year. I don't know what, if anything, we can do.
I'm hoping by posting, maybe someone has an idea and could help, or forward to someone who can.
Here's the email we received from Gary Weissbrot, owner of Bookery II:
"Dear Bookery II customers,
As the owner of Bookery II, I am writing to inform you in advance that the prospects of our
store remaining open are, sadly, very slim.
Even in Ithaca it seems we are not immune to the larger realities of socio-economic trends. We're
not belly-up quite yet. But the end is near.
There are numerous reasons for having to make this announcement and I invite those of you truly interested in the national, even international pattern of independent bookstore closings, to read the attached document. It includes a list, with links, of independent bookstore closings that is sobering to say the least.
After reading the attached statement, I welcome those of you with an interest in the value of Bookery II not only as a business but as a community asset to contact me as soon as possible. Perhaps, with your input, we can find a way to stay viable.
Again, I strongly recommend a reading of the more detailed description of the situation, attached, prior to contacting me.
Please feel free to call me at 273-5055 or email me at Bookery2@hotmail.com.
Thank you for your business and support. And thank you in advance for your time.
Yours truly,
Gary Weissbrot
Bookery II"
Download before_actually_closing2.doc