So...now what? Evermore learning.

(What follows is the text of the final post of our Buy Me a Coffee crowdfunding campaign that was launched on October 26. It has been re-posted here as our campaign website page was taken down this evening.)

"It may well be that we live in an epoch in which the bookshop is an institution suspended between 'the dying old society' and the 'society struggling to be born.'" - sociologist Edward Shils

Oh, friends...I have been trying to get this post written for an embarrassingly long time. There is much that I need to convey to all of you who have so graciously donated and shared with us in myriad ways (far beyond our expectations) what this place means to you...and the community. Please know this: I never intended to start this crowdfunding effort and then seemingly drop it like a hot potato (communication-wise) after a little more than a month. Truth is, my timing was extremely poor (launching this just as the holiday season was beginning…really?) and my ignorance level was high about oh…so much.

I would guess that almost everyone who has spoken with me about this business venture since its inception has heard me describe the experience as being on a "steep learning curve" - that descriptor continues to hold for me. But this step into the world of crowdfunding as a method to help correct our financial deficits has taken me way beyond the steep curve metaphor and straight onto a sheer rock face. I have come to understand - and I admit this with all humility - that the process of deciding to ask for help plus the construction of that very public ask was more energy-consuming as well as psychologically depleting than I was prepared for or ever imagined. And this is the truly humbling part - I launched this campaign without fully understanding the investment of time and energy required to make it successful in terms of reaching our initial financial goal...an investment I've struggled to make given the already high management and operational demands I juggle daily. I also came to the uncomfortable realization that publicly asking for help once was one thing, but repeatedly doing so...to keep our needs up in front of people...was an aspect of this process I didn't know how to navigate. So, in this crowdfunding effort, much like a neophyte rock climber, I have felt stuck in place, struggling to find the next secure foothold that will help me continue the climb.

Sometimes you just need to retrace your steps back down and re-assess.

So here's where we are at present: While we have fallen far short of our initial goal, the funds that were donated helped us successfully cover our costs through the holiday season as well as pay some overdue tax bills from the previous quarter. We can't thank you enough for this generosity. By helping us bolster our cash flow during these crucial months - as well as assisting us in spreading the word about Ballyhoo more widely throughout the community - we experienced a successful holiday season that has allowed us to pay down a small portion of our debt. This coupled with a helpful renegotiation of our major business loan terms has provided us a little breathing room. We are not out of the woods yet, but we can now see more light coming through the trees ahead of us. (I know...first I'm climbing a mountain and now I'm in the woods :)

We're now at work exploring other options that will allow our most avid supporters to continue to contribute to the financial well-being of this spunky counter-cultural endeavor here in the wilds of Mid-Michigan...likely a membership program of some kind that includes some cool beans perks - we just haven't quite figured out all the details or how we'll facilitate it yet. We'll keep you posted.

So this will be the final post of our "Buy Me a Coffee" campaign. The page will be closed at the end of business on February 29. Please know that we are forever grateful to all of you for your immense generosity, oh-so-kind words, and ongoing loving support of Ballyhoo.

~ Dawn
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"Bookstores are important spaces for reminding us that the work of building community is an art that takes time, takes dedication, and takes all of us to make it happen." ~ Erin Barttnett