Santa Ana’s sole independent bookstore LibroMobile may be closing its doors. “In the last six months, our book sales have been incredibly low, and so on top of that, California state arts funding was cut, which means we lost two big grants, like $50,000 worth of funding that we normally get for our programming,” says owner and founder Sarah Rafael García. “We don’t have enough money projected for 2025. Right now, we’re not even sure we’re going to make it to June.” SEE ALSO : Sign up for our free Book Pages newsletter about bestsellers, authors and more García, who works another full-time job that runs through May, has had to cancel LibroMobile’s annual literary festival and events programming and she’s been dipping into her own income to keep the doors open at the store, which has two employees and additional student help. “I have been contributing my own personal funds to keep it going,” she says. “We’re grassroots – I’m not a rich person, you know? I started the bookstore with a $10,000 yearly income, so I always tell people, I know how to survive off of very little money.” She plans to continue doing pop-up sales events and the quarterly open mic night, although the money crunch has affected that event as well. “We cannot pay our headliners. So whatever poet chooses to accept the invite to headline, they’re doing it for free,” she says. The problem, she says, is not enough book buyers. “We won’t be able to maintain a brick and mortar if people don’t buy books,” she says. “If we don’t increase book sales significantly in the next couple months, then in March I’m going to have to probably announce that we’re definitely closing in June.” And while she says she’ll find a way to keep doing pop-ups and other events – she launched LibroMobile with a hand-me-down garden cart that gave the venture its name – “We won’t have a brick and mortar store, which is a really sad thing for our city, as the only independent bookstore in Santa Ana.” García makes one thing clear: Don’t blame her landlords. “We don’t pay market-rate rent. So when people say, ‘Oh, it’s your landlord, they should decrease it.’ That’s not true. They have been 100% supportive. They have not increased our rent because they know we’re in this situation,” she says. “They want to figure out how to make it work.” She says LibroMobile reciprocates by creating community events in English and Spanish at the Bristol Swap Meet to bring people to the food courts as well as by helping to fund the site’s murals with grant money and city support. “We’re more than a bookstore. We’re creating a place for our community where they can explore literature and the arts without having to pay for it,” she says, but adds that there are always costs to cover. “We have to pay a DJ. We have to pay for the equipment. Sometimes we have to rent chairs if we expect a bigger crowd for an event. So all those are additional costs.” But she’s committed to serving the community. “This is home for me ... Santa Ana is where I went to school and keep returning, even though I have nobody left here, other than friends and chosen family, my godparents. But it’s still what I call home.” Her father, Rafael Castillo García, worked for The Orange County Register for 10 years until he died unexpectedly in 1988 at age 36. She recalls how her father – who studied the paper to improve his language skills, attended community college and wrote poems he’d leave on the family refrigerator – would leave the house dressed in crisp slacks and a dress shirt. “He always dressed sharp to go to work, to try to impress us to have better jobs,” says García, who would learn about the physical nature of his work after his death. “I didn’t know he was a labor worker. I had to go empty his locker out, and I found the coveralls.” García says she has considered suggestions to start a crowdfunding campaign but ultimately decided against it. “I know I could probably set up a GoFundMe, but where would that take us a year or two from now? We’ll be in the same position. If I don’t cultivate the culture and the tradition in Santa Ana and Orange County, then we’re still not creating sustainability,” she says. “I’m trying to cultivate the want and the need of books, not just holding rent.” So what can local readers do to help? “I want them shopping at the bookstore. [laughs] We go days without someone buying a book sometimes,” she says. “We are the only bookstore in Santa Ana, but not just that. We’re the only bookstore in Orange County that prioritizes Black, Indigenous, and People of Color books, as well as Spanish, multicultural and bilingual books. We have a whole beautiful collection of BIPOC cookbooks – like, who does that, right? – on top of a special collection that prioritizes ethnic studies, gender studies and academic books at affordable prices.” SEE ALSO : Bestsellers, authors, books and more can be found in the Books section García underscores her commitment to keeping prices reasonable – or even free. She stocks a Little Free Library at the Bristol Swap Meet, too. “Maybe that’s why we’re not making enough money. But that’s the whole point of keeping books that are relevant to our community accessible and affordable,” she says. While she says that the store is proudly political, García thinks LibroMobile has something that benefits the entire community. ”If you don’t like our politics, there’s still plenty of other books you can read in our store,” she says. “We have something for everyone, but we’re also not going to hide our political stances for the sake of capitalism.” For more stories about : Sign up for our free Book Pages newsletter about bestsellers, authors and more Related Articles
A chilly and active weather pattern stays in place through the weekend with scattered showers, mountain snow, and a gusty wind. While many of us are drying out, snow showers will linger up north through Saturday evening, particularly in the White Mountains and the Great North Woods. For all of us, it will turn windy with some gusts over 30 mph during the late morning and afternoon of Saturday. >> Interactive Radar It'll be mostly dry for southern areas on Sunday, but more snow showers are possible in northern spots through Sunday afternoon. Winds will be quite active with some northwesterly gusts over 35-40 mph at times. These winds could result in some isolated power outages. >> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play
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GOJO President and CEO, Carey Jaros , Corporate Sales Director Moshe Lewis and National Sales VP, Ashley Fubini , received top honors for industry leadership AKRON, Ohio , Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- GOJO President and CEO, Carey Jaros received the Jack D. Ramaley Industry Distinguished Service Award from ISSA in recognition of her outstanding service to the cleaning industry. With an audience of more than 500 industry colleagues, Jaros accepted the prestigious award, named after ISSA's executive director from 1960 to 1981. In accepting the award, Jaros praised ISSA, the GOJO team, distributor partners, and customers for their leadership in advancing the global cleaning industry through collaboration, mentorship, and participation in industry initiatives to help the sector grow and thrive. "I firmly believe that any time a leader is recognized that recognition ultimately belongs to their team, as none of us accomplish anything worthy of an award like this on our own," said Jaros. "So, it's my honor to accept the Jack D. Ramaley Award on behalf of all of Team GOJO, who are so passionate, hard-working, and purpose-driven, and our awesome distributor partners, who ultimately enable our PURELL products to get to people out in the world, and who are also dear friends and colleagues who push us to get better and better." In addition to Jaros' award, GOJO Corporate Sales Director, Moshe Lewis was selected as a member of the inaugural class of ISSA Emerging Leaders for 2024, and was the 1 st Runner Up for the Rising Star Award. Lewis is part of a group of 30 industry professionals that represent the next generation of leaders and was selected from a group of more than 100 nominations of industry professionals under the age of 40 for his outstanding contributions, leadership, and commitment to driving the industry forward. In addition to Jaros and Lewis' honors, the ISSA Hygieia Network awarded GOJO's National Sales Vice President Ashley Fubini the Rising Star of the Year Award. The award recognizes the significant achievements of an ISSA Hygieia member who has demonstrated consistent upward mobility in her career within the cleaning industry. Along with GOJO's multiple awards, the company continued to wow the ISSA Trade Show attendees with its newest dispensing system - PURELL ® ES 10. The PURELL ES10 is our simplest, most sustainable touch-free dispensing system. 3 This ground-breaking technology proves that less is more with less maintenance and less waste, all while delivering more ways to impress. Significant features of the new product include: Less Maintenance Less Waste More Ways to Impress GOJO is certified by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) as a Women's Business Enterprise, so purchasing these dispensing systems and PURELL ® refills can help customers achieve their supplier diversity goals and demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and equity. Businesses and government entities can now purchase the PURELL ® ES10 Dispensing Systems across the United States . Interested customers can visit (insert link) to learn more or contact their GOJO distributor. A video of the new dispensing system can be viewed here . About GOJO Industries GOJO is a Purpose-driven, 3rd generation Family Enterprise whose market-leading PURELL® soap, hand sanitizer, surface sprays and wipes are used around the world to help keep people healthy and well. A WBENC-certified women-owned business, for more than 75 years, GOJO has used science-based innovation to set new standards in safety, efficacy, and sustainability for both consumers and in public spaces like hospitals, schools, restaurants. GOJO is headquartered in Akron, Ohio with manufacturing facilities located in Northeast Ohio . For more information on GOJO Industries, please visit GOJO.com . Footnotes: 1 Per standard use under normal usage conditions 2 Compared with ES8 3 Has less 30% less plastic per refill and a 38% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to ES8 system. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gojo-shines-at-issa-trade-show-celebrating-success-with-multiple-industry-awards-302313642.html SOURCE GOJO Industries, Inc.
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