Who We Are & Why You Should Care
Books & Banter, LLC is a brand new business in southwest Oklahoma who plans on opening a bookstore in Lawton in the spring of 2014. But we are so, SO much more than that. As you can see from the video, many people in our nation, and many people in this area, have a hidden struggle with literacy. We strive, as a business, to be community oriented and to enter the fray in the fight against illiteracy. We also intend on supporting the local arts and music in Lawton, OK and the surrounding areas, as well as local authors.
How?
- By setting up volunteer-run tutoring programs that are affordable for everyone.
- Have summer reading programs and weekly reading times, something libraries must now cut back on due to budget freezes.
- Become a local music & arts venue, thus doing our part to make sure that arts can continue to thrive in our area.
- Sell and showcase local and independently published authors alongside our more popular books.
We believe in Lawton and we know we aren't alone. We know that the fight for literacy, arts, and our city isn't in vain. So help us, and show you know a difference can be made!
What We Need & What You Get
We need your help to show lenders that we are worth the investment. We hope to pay forward our success into the community and the best way to show a need in Lawton for a business like ours is community support. Your monetary investment will show the banks that it's not just some bank account of ours that is going to benefit, but the people of Lawton.
To be frank, some of your contributions are going to end up right back in your hand in the form of the perks we're offering. Whether it's a t-shirt or a brand new Kobo, we want you to be able to see and touch something from your investment.
The rest is going to go into making our bookstore not just have books, but also run the programs we want to begin in the community.
If we reach our goal, we'll have enough to hit the ground running. If not, congratulations, you've gotten a t-shirt and a book.
We don't just want to succeed as a business, we want to help Lawton succeed as a town. But we need help.
The Impact
We want to see little kids enrapt in a book being read aloud in the children's section. We want to see school age youth succeeding in class because of our tutoring programs. We want local musicians to have a place where their music can be heard. We want local artists to have a gallery opportunity from people seeing their art on our walls.
Fighting illiteracy and making reading a staple in our community will take work, but it is worth the effort. Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read."
We want to inspire the best in Lawton. Part of that, we believe, is to begin with the arts; with words, music, fine art, performance. We believe like so many before us, that through the arts one can discover his or her best self.
Isn't that an opportunity that should extend past budget-cuts and poorly supported programs?
Other Ways You Can Help
Some of you simply can’t contribute, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help:
- Get the word out! Tell your friends! Tell your foes! Tell the person in the grocery line with you. It's easy! "Do you think these strawberries will last very long? Have you heard about this new bookstore, Books & Banter?"
- Use Indiegogo share tools! Tweet, Facebook, Tumble, Pin, Instagram, Vine, Google+ about this campaign!
- Volunteer in our programs when they begin!
You can make a difference in Lawton! Work with us to make this town a more beautiful place to live!
