Here’s a way to help a bookseller in need.
We talk a lot on these parts about supporting indie bookstores, but this story from The Washington Post adds an extra layer of of urgency: Patrick Darby, who worked as a bookseller at big chain stores for many years before starting his own shop, Novel Books, is in dire straits. Darby opened Novel Books in 2011 in Clarksburg, Maryland. For awhile, “he was happy, and his store bustled with events and young parents bringing their new readers to play in a well-stocked children’s section.”
Starting in 2018, though, a series of disastrous unforeseen expenses have imperiled the shop, the most heartbreaking of which being Darby’s Parkinson’s diagnosis—coupled with the fact that he’s uninsured. Darby has started a GoFundMe (or as we Americans call it, HealthInsurance) campaign and is looking to raise $50,000 to keep the store open.
If you have any extra to give, consider donating. And hey, while I’ve got your attention, #MedicareForAll!
[via The Washington Post]
