Catalyst 33 – A non-profit Bookstore

We posted catalyst
thirty-three over at creative therapy. This week’s catalyst is: If
you had unlimited money to buy someone you know something, what would
you buy and for whom?

Here are my thoughts:

This is one of the few catalysts that had me thinking for a long time.
For some reason, I couldn’t come up with an answer. I thought and
thought. Finally, as I was driving to work one morning, the answer hit
me. I wanted to buy a bookstore, for me. Was it too selfish to use this
money for myself? Maybe. But I decided that’s what my catalyst was going
to be about anyway. Even if others think it’s selfish.

Years ago, I volunteered at this amazing bookstore in New York City.
This store looked the way bookstores should look. It has wooden, spiral
staircases. Tables everywhere for people to sit and browse. A little
coffee shop in the back to relax and enjoy. Fantastic, knowledgeable
staff. And some of the best speakers and authors came to read at the
store. The best part was that the bookstore was completely non-profit.
All the books were donated and all the proceeds went to this
organization that provided shelter and aid to people who were affected
by AIDS.

Ever since my years at that store, I’ve always wanted to have a
nonprofit bookstore of my own. One full of used, donated books. One with
a little coffee shop of its own. One with volunteers who love books as
much as I do. One where people love to visit and where great authors
come to read from their masterpieces. One where all the proceeds are
donated across nonprofits. My passion is education so I would start by
donating to nonprofits that favor education but my hope is that we can
affect change in some way. Even if it’s a tiny one.