A staple in downtown St. Joseph for more than two decades is cautioning that if things don’t get back to normal soon, there may not be a future. Forever Books owner and operator Robin Allen has told the world, “Forever Books may not be forever,” as she has established a fundraising campaign to stay solvent.
Allen has taken to her Facebook fan page during the pandemic to bring everyone up to speed since the store has been forced to close by the stay at home orders. She says, “Like many other businesses, the pandemic shutdown caught us at our slowest time of the year. Our scheduled store events helped us survive January, February, and March, but I had to cancel 6 of them, 2 of which are among the store’s largest.” She goes on to say, “I reduced staff and now work alone with the help of generous volunteers. The store continues to fulfill customer requests from in-store stock or through our website; but it is not enough to cover rent, vendor bills, payroll, and utilities.”
For 21 years, Allen has operated the community bookstore at 312 State Street in downtown St. Joseph, and says, “Loyal customers far beyond Southwest Michigan claim Forever Books as their community bookstore because so many communities do not have one.”
Fearful of the ongoing impact of the current shutdown, Allen is taking whatever steps possible to save her business, writing, “It is with a humble heart that I ask for your financial help in any amount to save Forever Books. All money collected will be used to keep the store open once restrictions are lifted and business returns to normal.” She has launched a GoFundMe campaign targeting $80,000.
By way of explanation, she says, “The goal of $80,000 will help keep the ‘forever’ in Forever Books. I appreciate all the purchases, kind words, phone calls, and e-mails received since the shutdown; and with your generosity, I can continue to offer all that this award-winning, community bookstore has provided for the past 21 years.”
Here’s a direct link to the GoFundMe Campaign for Forever Books:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/foreverbooksmaynotbeforever
Forever Books has become an integral part of the community of Michigan’s Great Southwest in those 21 years, hosting more than 50 annual events including the likes of:
- Harry Potter Street Parties
- Storytimes with Costumed Book Characters
- Where’s Waldo scavenger hunts
- Book Club Symposiums
- Top 20 & an Author
Additionally, the community has benefited from the bookstore’s contributions to:
- Luminary Night
- Reindog Parade
- Live Mannequins
- Chalk the Block and others
The many book sales at:
- Libraries
- Dogwood Festival
- Museums
- Restaurants
- Private Homes
Donations to:
- The Humane Society of Southwest Michigan
- Local School fundraisers
- In Person Authors at Schools
- Sarett Nature Center
- The Readiness Center
- The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs of Benton Harbor
Forever Books was one of the first loan applicants to the St. Joseph Downtown Development Fund in the very beginning, and never missed a single payment, becoming one of the very first to completely repay the loan on time.
