The Village Well, an independent bookstore and cafe, will open in downtown Culver City, Los Angeles, later this summer.
Owner Jennifer Caspar has already launched the store's e-commerce site in advance of the physical store's opening, and she's selling books for all ages across many genres. Caspar plans to make social justice a major part of the store by focusing on a different cause each month. She'll invite guest speakers to talk about the subject and provide reading lists and links to organizations involved. For the month of June, the store is focused on economic inequality.
"I have dreamed about opening this business for a long time, but I never imagined I'd be launching under these circumstances, with not just one but two major crises shaking our economic foundation," Caspar said. "But we're not shying away--we understand that people don't stop reading during crises, and definitely never stop needing community. The Black Lives Matter movement has started an important, complex and difficult conversation, and I want the Village Well to be a place that will facilitate conversations like that."
The cafe will serve coffee, tea, beer and wine, along with a selection of food items. When the store opens for browsing and dining, there will be a variety of social-distancing precautions, including hand sanitizer, reduced indoor seating and frequent cleaning, with curbside pick-up and home delivery available as alternatives.