The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore needs your help, big or small!

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our fundraiser! Since launching our fundraising campaign in July we have raised almost 10,000 euros. Wow! It was the push we needed to keep our doors open after we saw historically low book sales during the Olympics. Thanks to your help we have completely transformed our new space into a magical bookstore and we have begun hosting events and book clubs in the new space. Changing the history of 11 Rue de Medicis has been energizing and we are ready to continue the fight to keep this beautiful new shop.

We want to take a moment to thank our donors. Your generosity does not go unnoticed and we would not have been able to keep our new retail space without you. We erased the extreme far-right bookstore from Rue de Medicis and now our three blue book shops shine side by side. Without your generous donations, we would not have been able to recover and get back on our feet. It was a risky move taking on another bookstore but it was one we felt was urgent and necessary. The feedback from the community has been amazing and we can’t wait to continue this work in the coming months.

Now, we’re looking ahead. Our current goal is to raise 30,000, and we are about 30% there! There are a few ways you can help us to reach this goal. First, by donating to our fundraiser. We are still seeking assistance in covering the costs of getting our new bookshop up and running.

If GoFundMe is not your thing there are a few different ways you can join our fight to keep our shop open. Buying one of our bookshop tote bags or gift cards also goes towards our fundraiser and makes a wonderful gift for the holiday season. They are available to order at the bookshop or on our website here.

We’ve decided to pause hosting events at the shop in November to completely focus on our fundraising efforts. In the New Year, our events calendar will be picking back up. Another way to support our shop is to attend one of our bookshop events. We post our upcoming events on our website, our newsletter, and our social media accounts. We hope to see you at one of our events in 2025!

Finally, help us to spread the word. Share this fundraiser with your friends and family. Had a nice experience at our shop? Leave us a review on Google. Loved a book you bought from us? Tell a friend. Took a picture at one of our three shops? Tag us in your Instagram posts. Every bit counts!

As the last independently run anglophone bookshop in Paris still managed by its owner we look forward to continuing to serve our anglophone literary community and do what we do best: sell books. We believe books have the power to change the world and we hope you’ll join us in our fight to keep our bookshop open.

With continued gratitude,

The Red Wheelbarrow

November 2024

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READ OUR INITIAL FUNDRAISING TEXT BELOW:

Penelope Fletcher first opened The Red Wheelbarrow bookstore in the Marais in 2001. Adored by the neighborhood, visitors, and the anglophone literary community of Paris, the Red Wheelbarrow served the right bank from 2001 to 2012, at 13 rue Charles V and 22 rue Saint Paul. Our shop became a well-loved institution hosting author events, book signings, and readings. It was a place for students to get the books on their course syllabus and each year we hosted a children's writing competition.

The shop reopened its doors in 2018 at 9 Rue de Medicis opposite the Luxembourg Gardens. Two weeks before we got the keys, a Far-Right bookshop opened at 11 Rue de Medicis next to our beautiful new bookshop. This didn’t stop us and we’re not done fighting. We stayed afloat as an independently-owned shop through COVID-19 and have continued to grow our bookshop over the years.

In 2021, we rented a second bookshop at 11 Rue de Medicis. We turned No. 9 into our bilingual children's bookstore, the Red Balloon. Our two bookstores, the Red Balloon and the Red Wheelbarrow, now stood on either side of the Far-Right bookstore. While their bookstore sold anti-Semitic, homophobic, racist, xenophobic, and Islamophobic books our bookstore remained a place to find compassionate, radical, and diverse books for both children and adults. We continue to host authors, book launches, and our weekly children's story hour. We promote local publications and independent presses. We cherish our bookshop community and plan to continue to be a welcoming and inclusive space.

And now, in June 2024, VICTORY! Adieu! We got the keys of what was formerly the Far-Right bookstore that sat between The Red Wheelbarrow and The Red Balloon!

Taking on a new space comes with many upfront costs and we need your help to open our doors to the public. This is a massive project which is going to require lots of work, time, and financial assistance. We are asking our bookshop community to aid us in making our third bookstore space a reality. Donations big and small are greatly appreciated. Please help us to spread the word by sharing this fundraiser widely with your family, friends, and community.

Your generous donation will be going towards:

Our new space will include more events, more books, and a space for writing workshops! Are you ready to join our fight to combat fascism and keep our door-to-door bookstore open?

Find out more about the bookshop on our site

Keep up with our progress on Instagram

Read the Full Washington Post article here

Read more about our story on Bonjour Paris

with gratitude,

The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore