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Lioness Books, Leander, Tex., suffered a fire that has postponed the opening of its bricks-and-mortar location, the Austin American-Statesmen reported.
The bookstore, which launched as a mobile bookstore, was set to move into its new space at 208 N. Gabriel St. on March 29 and take part in the Austin Texas Book Trail on April 4, with a grand opening to follow on April 11. However, a fire broke out on Wednesday, March 25, in a storage shed at the property in which owner Sarah Ambrus was storing the bookstore's furniture and inventory. Ambrus described it as a "total loss" of inventory.
As a result, Ambrus has postponed the opening and has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help recover from the fire; so far it has raised more than $10,000 out of a $12,000 goal. Money from the campaign will help replace the inventory and furniture and rebuild the storage shed. At the same time, the town's Chamber of Commerce is accepting book donations on behalf of the store.
Per FOX7 Austin, the cause of the fire is still being investigated, though authorities have ruled out arson.