BREAKING NEWS!

Starting May 1, the next $5,000 in contributions will be matched by a very generous but modest longtime customer who has asked to remain anonymous. We must raise that next $5,000 to receive the matching contribution; if we do so, then that $5,000 becomes $10,000 and we will be most of the way to our goal! The exact figure we need to hit for the matching gift to be delivered is $6,670.

Who We Are

Spellbound is an independent children's bookstore founded in 2004 by Leslie Hawkins (that's me in the video) in Asheville, North Carolina. Feel free to check out our website, Facebook page, Twitter & Pinterest (links at the bottom of this page). We have been a part of our customers’ lives and a contributing member of the community for almost a decade.  In order to survive the recession, we had to move and downsize to reduce expenses. As a result, we have had less space for inventory and for the great in-store events that people associate with our bookstore.

While tourists and customers who live or work downtown have welcomed our downtown presence, most of our longtime local customers have told us emphatically that they miss having Spellbound in a location that’s easier to get to—they want less traffic and easier parking when shopping with their kids. And everyone wants the bookstore to be bigger, with more room for our trademark special events like the Fairy Tale Ball in the spring and our summertime Pirate Party… and of course a bigger inventory of BOOKS. More space will also help us expand programming--public events, private events, support for educators, and more.

We are currently sharing retail space with Zapow illustration gallery. While it has been a great partnership and has attracted more teen shoppers, Spellbound needs to go back to having a free-standing kids-only space again to better serve our customers and the larger community. It’s something our customers have been asking for and waiting for…we know we have the moral support. Now we’re asking you to translate that into action.

What We Need & What You Get

We need to move to a larger location in a neighborhood just outside of downtown, central and convenient but where the parking is free and plentiful. Our search so far has concentrated on the West Asheville neighborhood. Not only do we have many loyal customers who live in that neighborhood, it is also very convenient to customers from the entire area as it is easily accessed by two major throughways, Interstate 240 and Patton Avenue.

What Spellbound can afford in terms of opening inventory and “build-out” work to make a beautiful, welcoming, cozy store space for kids and their families depends on contributions from supporters like you.

"Build-out" expenses include things like any plumbing, lighting, and other fixtures which may need to be replaced, signage, and otherwise making the space ready for business.

One feature we are planning to incorporate is a room dedicated to used and bargain books. This will make it easier for families with any size budget to enjoy the Spellbound shopping experience by offering more books at lower price points, but with the same carefully curated selection that you've come to expect from Spellbound.

This room will also be used for in-store events, those open to the public as well as private events, such as birthday parties, baby showers, and workshops. The addition of birthday party rentals, which many customers have asked for, is one example of the additional programming a new space will allow us to offer. (Please check the Updates tabs for more detail on planned additions to our programming and events calendar.)

BUDGET

$2800         First month rent & Deposit

$3000         Build out / construction costs (interior wall, trim, etc.) & permits

$400           Utility deposits

$1000         Lighting, flooring, painting, etc.

$1500         Signage, exterior and interior

$9000         Inventory

$800           Fixtures
We have sourced used fixtures from an out-of-town bookstore that is closing in April and will refurbish as needed.

$18,500          Minimum goal needed to open new location

Our priority is to once again have a larger space with better parking. If we can only afford one location, it will be the new, larger one and the inventory from our current downtown location will be transferred there. If we exceed our minimum goal, we will also keep our current location as a small satellite location, focusing more on the teen/young adult audience.

                       “Stretch Goals” if we exceed our minimum goal:

$5,000         New POS system
This will be a tremendous upgrade that will make ordering & returns more efficient, meaning we’re less likely to run out of that book you’re looking for. It will also improve off-site book fairs for schools and non-profits, which we have been doing more & more of lately. It will enable gift receipts, gift registries, and continue our frequent buyer program with no interruption. It will also be invaluable in helping us run both a main location and a downtown satellite location efficiently.

$500            Upgrade to website

$24,000          “Stretch Goal" to keep two locations and make all the upgrades

Any additional funds raised beyond this stretch goal will go toward buying inventory to make our selection even more awesome! More books!!

PERKS!

We like to think that the biggest and best “perk” you’ll receive from contributing to Spellbound’s campaign is once again having a large, well-stocked, fun, and welcoming bookstore just for kids and kids at heart here in Asheville. (One that’s easier to get to, as well!) But, just to sweeten the pot, here are some other perks we are offering to encourage your generosity. (See list to the right for what perks you can expect at each level of support.)

Posters, Bookmarks, and T-shirts—oh my! Everyone loves the bright yellow “Snack, Nap, Read” poster in our window. Now, you can have one of your very own…or a bookmark or t-shirt. Each item will also have the Spellbound logo on the front.

Gift certificates! Help Spellbound grow and get part of that contribution back in the form of a gift certificate to spend at the store.

Exclusive toy! An adorable Spellbound Bookworm plush toy, designed exclusively for this campaign by local artist Cynthia Potter.

You’re on the List! A family invitation (up to four people) to a special invitation-only party Spellbound will host prior to the Grand Opening of our new location. We can’t book specific authors or performers until we have a firm move-in date, but you can count on a really fun event with entertainment for both big kids and little kids, refreshments, door prizes, and more.

Lots of free books! Free subscriptions for the new Spellbound book-of-the-month club that will be launching in the spring. The perfect gift that keeps on giving... each month your child or teen will receive a book personally selected for him or her by Spellbound staff. It will arrive, gift-wrapped, with a card from you.

Naming opportunities! In gratitude for investing in Spellbound’s growth, we will happily name a bookshelf—or entire bookcase!—after you or your organization.

Other public acknowledgements… everyone who contributes at any level will receive a Thank You on a permanent Supporters page on the Spellbound website. Larger contributions will also be acknowledged with your name on permanent signage in the new Spellbound location.

Referral Contest

Indiegogo can track where links to our campaign page originated, so we can see who has referred other funders. The person who uses the share tools ont his page to refer the most funders will win A DOZEN FREE BOOKS, on top of any other earned perks. We are counting the number of funders, not the amount, so the person who refers 50 people who give $10 each wins over the person who refers one person who gives $500. Please share the campaign so we can give you those free books!

WHAT-IFs

Q: What if this campaign doesn’t reach its goal? What happens to the money contributed?
A: We have opted for the Flexible Funding option, which means that Spellbound will still receive some funds even if the goal isn’t met. Both IndieGoGo and PayPal keep a percentage of funds raised to cover their costs. If our goal is met, we keep a higher percentage of money raised than we will if our goal is not met.

If we reach or exceed our goal, Spellbound will keep its current small downtown location inside ZaPow art gallery and open a larger, kids-only space in a location with easier access and better parking. Events and other programming will be greatly enhanced. (I will elaborate on the added programming in an update—so check out the Updates tab at the top of the page!)

If we get close to the goal amount, but not quite enough to do everything, we will prioritize moving into the larger, new space and adding more events and programming.

If we are not close enough to the goal to afford moving, all funds raised will be used to improve our inventory and programming in our current location.

THE IMPACT

If you have read this far, chances are that you recognize how much an independent bookstore like ours gives back to the community by supporting local schools and non-profits, contributing to the local economy, and connecting kids with books.

We hope that you recognize this contribution and value it enough to invest in our growth so that Spellbound can continue to be that valuable resource where schools get a large discount to stretch their book budgets, where parents trying to get their struggling or “reluctant” readers hooked on books come for guidance, where little ones have magical experiences seeing their favorite book characters come to life, and where friends, neighbors, and strangers alike can come together and bond over that special magic that happens when you read just the right book at just at the right age… and nothing is ever the same again.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you are unable to send a financial contribution, but would still like to help Spellbound grow, here are some other ways you can contribute:

Help us spread the word! If we get a few thousand people to give just $5 or $10 each, that gets us to our goal just the same as a handful of people giving really large contributions. So tell your friends, put it on your blog, post it on Facebook, Tweet it…let people know they can make this happen! Indiegogo has easy share tools to make sharing fast and easy. Please use them! 

• Buy a gift certificate. We’ll send it to you right after the campaign ends, at the same time we send out donor perks. Having the money up front will help us pay for the new space and books to put in it—then you can come in anytime after that to redeem your gift certificate. We are also happy to send it to the gift recipient of your choice. (You may even consider having us send a gift certificate in your name to a school or non-profit organization.)

• Volunteer time and skills! When we expand to a new location, we’ll need help with moving, painting, stocking, putting up flyers announcing our Grand Opening, as well as some more skilled labor like carpentry. The less money we have to spend paying people to do these things, the more money we can spend on a great selection of BOOKS to make this the most awesome kids’ bookstore you’ve ever seen.