The Book Industry Charitable Foundation has announced the members of the four-person selection panel that will choose the second cohort of BincTank entrepreneurs, a business incubator designed to increase equity in bookstore ownership. Applications will be accepted through Sunday, November 10, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, a one-week extension to the original application deadline.
"By extending the deadline to apply by one week we hope to see even more entrepreneurs complete the application process," said Ken White, BincTank program manager.
The selection panel members are: Kimberly Brock, adult book buyer for Joseph-Beth Booksellers who was a master bookseller there for eight years; Rockelle Henderson, owner of Rock Inked, Inc., a marketing agency focused on developing strategic plans that maximize a book's reach to its target audience; Kalani Kapahua, who works as an inside sales representative with HarperCollins and was previously the store manager of Third Place Books Ravenna in Seattle, Wash.; and Hannah Oliver Depp, co-owner of Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, Md.
Bookmobiles, pop-up stores, and bricks-and-mortar storefronts are eligible. Stores that qualify are either not yet open or opened on or after July 1, 2024. Businesses interested in moving from one model to another, like a pop-up moving to a bricks-and-mortar location, are also eligible. The entrepreneurs and proposed businesses must be in the U.S. or a U.S. territory.
"We are grateful to the reviewers for their time and expertise, and for sharing in our belief that every community deserves their bookstore," said Pam French, Binc's executive director.