Leviathan Bookstore in St. Louis, Mo., has launched a crowdfunding campaign while it moves to a permanent bricks-and-mortar home.
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| James Crossley and Amanda Clark | |
From its debut in April 2024 until the end of December, Leviathan operated as a pop-up store within Dunaway Books, a used bookstore located near St. Louis's Tower Grove Park. The store's new home is located at 3211 S. Grand Blvd., not far from Dunaway Books, and includes 900 square feet of selling space along with basement storage.
Leviathan owners James Crossley and Amanda Clark hope to soft open in the new space in early February; a grand re-opening celebration is scheduled for Saturday, March 1. The Kickstarter campaign has a $20,000 goal and has so far brought in about $4,700. Money raised through the campaign will go toward new inventory, new shelving and fixtures, occupancy costs such as rent and utilities, and assorted equipment and supplies.
Crossley noted that renovations aren't extensive, though he and Clark will be repainting the space "from top to bottom" in addition to adding shelving and other fixtures. They aim to have a "clean, open but inviting space that makes the books themselves the most prominent feature." They're also very excited about the location, which is "smack in the middle of a diverse and bustling urban neighborhood."
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| Bookstore move in progress | |
As the operation will effectively be quadrupling in size, "inventory will increase across the board," Crossley said. The mix of titles will remain similar, "with a healthy stock of NPR and New York Times bestsellers stacked side by side with more unexpected small press and international titles." There will be more room for oversized art and photography books as well as picture books.
"We couldn't be happier about being in the heart of the city," said Crossley, "and we're really looking forward to being part of the bookselling community here and growing the market for us all."