If you haven’t read any updates so far, I implore you to read this one because of its important nature. Even if you don’t read any other update, please read this one. After discussing with Booksellers our numerous options for supportive action, we finally decided that having an event at Booksellers’ would be too overwhelming for the staff physically and emotionally. So, we move on to Plan B. We will hold an all day, 24-hour event online, called “Show Your Love for Booksellers” on February 15th (Not wanting to compete with Valentine’s Day on February 14th). How does one hold an all day online event? Well, starting at 12:00am on Wednesday, February 15th, I will open an online message section on the website for everyone to post their messages, stories, and whatever else you might want to share about Booksellers. Simultaneously, I will be running an ad campaign on Facebook and Twitter to encourage people to use #LoveforBooksellers and #MemphisGetsLit to share their messages about Booksellers. I want to jumpstart this movement on February 15th and have it spread like wildfire across the MidSouth throughout the day! I hope that some other local businesses and bookstores will join in on the love campaign and post something with #LoveforBooksellers. However, to invest in this endeavor, I need some amount of financial resources. I’ve started a GoFundMe to raise some money and help turn this into a huge supportive event for Booksellers. I even have some sweet rewards for those who do choose to donate, so go check it out: https://www.gofundme.com/booksellerspetition What this money be used for specifically: -Upgrading and expanding the current Booksellers Petition website: https://emsfilm.wixsite.com/booksellerspetition) and moving it to a new domain -Fund a social media ad campaign to encourage people to participate in the February 15th "Show Your Love For Booksellers" event online -Pay for all the paper/ink and other such supplies necessary to spread the word about the February 15th event Hopefully some time in the future we will be able to hold a physical event, but for now we must make the best of the situation. I’ve created a flyer to help spread the word: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwD6Qj4yD5f0U2x2SEw4S0lLN00/view?usp=sharing Please don’t wait until February 15th to share this event on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms so we can make February 15th a huge success. I’ve also been working with our local leaders to name February 15th “Support Your Local Bookstore Day” to recognize the deep ties many local bookstores have in the Memphis society. A friend of mine, Becca Hensley, wrote a wonderful example of what a special message one might share on February 15th. They definitely don’t have to be as long, but it’s what comes from the heart that matters: To Whom It May Concern: "Since Booksellers announced its decision to close, there have been many loyal customers who've shared their feelings about losing such a valuable establishment in our east Memphis community. While I realize I may be repeating others' sentiments, I wanted to share why Booksellers has been more than just a store to our family. Naturally, my reasons are similar to those that others have put so well in their own words: a knowledgeable and helpful staff, books representing so many different genres, a meeting place for friends, the cozy Bistro offering a chance to enjoy the atmosphere and delicious food, and a place where parents could bring their children to hear stories and sing songs. But there was something even more meaningful to me that I couldn't quite put my finger on until the last time we were there shopping. My husband and two children, and I walked through the doors. The usual delightfully cozy atmosphere greeted us, as we decided to split up and look around at our own favorite sections of "our store." We truly feel like Booksellers is "our store." After a while, we met back up and while my husband and children were just an aisle or two over from me, I could hear them sharing some of the titles of books, quirky quotes, and funny illustrations. They were quietly laughing together and trying to "top" one another with their own latest find. Then they spotted something even more interesting and would ask what the others thought about it. That's when it hit me. Bookstores are for sharing ideas. Maybe this is just common sense to everyone. Obviously, the endless array of books share their author's ideas; however, when given the opportunity to peruse aisles of books on shelves together with friends or family, the readers themselves naturally end up sharing their own ideas, laughs, and comments. It draws us together. It begins conversations that are different than the usual ones about soccer practice and work. That's what Booksellers has been for my family and many others...a place to share time and ideas. It draws people together. My husband and I have spent many a date night there, and we've never lacked for conversation when we've wandered up and down the rows of books dreaming of vacations in the travel section or finding the perfect children's book for our child at Christmas. You can't get those kind of moments in front of a computer screen ordering online. That's why I love Booksellers. That's why I hope that we will have an investor come forward to keep an east Memphis gem alive, and that the support shown for Booksellers over the past few weeks would be just the beginning of a new era of buying books in our local community. A place to share ideas...to come together...it's worth it." Sincerely, Rebecca Hensley Remember #MemphisGetsLit and February 15th will be the day to remember, Emmett Miskell