Bushwick Bookstore Needs $50K To Stay In Business

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — Bushwick's new bilingual and anti-gentrification bookshop is in danger of closing if it can't raise $50,000 in crowdfunding to cover its costs, its owner said.

Mil Mundos Books, one of the area's only book stores, launched a crowdfunding campaign this month to keep open its doors on Linden Street and Irving Avenue, founder Maria Herron told Patch.

"Unforeseen financial hurdles have severely limited our funding," Herron wrote in her Indigogo campaign. "Nevertheless, we are committed to giving Mil Mundos a fighting chance."

Mil Mundos, which first opened in March, provides the neighborhood with literature that explores and honors Black and Latinx culture, which Herron says is in need of protection in the face of increasing gentrification in the neighborhood.

"Mil Mundos is a larger-scale anti-gentrification project based on a simple premise," Herron explains in a promotional video. "What if a business opened up in a working-class neighborhood for the neighborhood that was already there?"

Financial difficulties stem from the high cost of launching a new business in New York City, Herron explained. Building cost $10,000 more than planned, one of two small business loans never came through and the second was $10,000 less than the amount she requested, said Herron.

She hopes the big influx of funds will help repay the $14,000 the group owes the contractor, buy $6,000 worth of shop and office equipment and cover overhead costs for the next six months until Mil Mundos can become sustainable.

And Herron's team members have also agreed to work in the store as volunteers, which means the monthly cost of running Mil Mundos will drop from $8,000 to just $3,800, she wrote.

The crowdfunding campaign had raised more than $4,000 as of June 5.

Herron has big plans for Mil Mundos' future. She's hoping to partner with local schools to host book fairs, provide a space for writers and publishers to connect, and host workshops on, among other topics, soap making, block carving and fermentation.

The store is currently organized as a limited liability company, but Herron also hopes to transition into a nonprofit organization and return profits back to the people working in the shop, she wrote.

Which is why Herron is calling on Bushwick to help keep Mil Mundos afloat.

"In a neighborhood where gentrification and displacement run rampant, a community resource by and for those who already call Bushwick home is invaluable," she wrote.

"Mil Mundos tells our story, speaks our language, and provides for our needs."

Those who cannot donate to Mil Mundos' crowdfunding campaign can help by signing up to volunteer.