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After a successful crowdfunding campaign that brought in more than $60,000, queer and inclusive bookstore All She Wrote Books will reopen tomorrow in its new home in Somerville, Mass., MassLive reported.
At 800 square feet., the new space is a little over half the size of its original home in Somerville's Assembly Row. Owner Christina Pascucci-Ciampa will curate "the same types of books, the same types of topics, the same types of genres" in the new space at 75 Washington St., but with a more selective touch.
Pascucci-Ciampa founded the bookstore as a pop-up shop in 2019 before opening a bricks-and-mortar location in Assembly Row in 2020. Following a 130% rent increase over two years, as well as significant expenditures on HVAC issues and flooding repairs, staying in that location became untenable, and in September Pascucci-Ciampa launched a crowdfunding campaign to help her bookstore move to a new home.
"East Somerville spoke to us in a way that was like, this is a new chapter," Pascucci-Ciampa told MassLive. "This is a new opportunity that would allow for us to grow and flourish in the way that we need."
The campaign raised just shy of $61,000, and on October 15 Pascucci-Ciampa began moving the bookstore into the new space. Raised funds have so far gone toward moving expenses, paying bookstore staff, and buying new furniture; Pascucci-Ciampa plans to use remaining funds for hosting free community events, hiring more staff, and creating an emergency fund.
Pascucci-Ciampa places a major emphasis on community involvement. The store donates book bundles and gift cards to two organizations working to ending domestic abuse, sponsors a free library in East Somerville, collaborates with the Somerville Public Library on a variety of events, and has a program called "Gay It Forward" that allows customers to sponsor a free book for someone who otherwise could not afford one.
"We exist because of that human connection and the ability to connect with people, but also for people to feel heard and seen," Pascucci-Ciampa added. "You can't beat that. You can't get that in the form of shopping on Amazon. You just don't."