Help Us Open Stay Gold Books in Regent Square

Update: We have a storefront! Stay Gold Books is coming soon to 1104 S. Braddock Ave. in Regent Square's business district. We absolutely cannot wait to open our doors to you. In the meantime, a heartfelt thank you to those have and continue to support us. <3

Allow us to introduce ourselves! We are Corey + Carrie Wittig, the co-owners of Stay Gold Books . 

Pittsburghers, teachers, and literary nerds, we have a dream to open a brick + mortar bookstore in Regent Square. We are committed to providing an independent bookstore that is a place for all. A place that supports self-development and expression, brings people together, and preserves Pittsburgh’s long-standing and developing history as a literary city. A place where everyone is invited to make meaning in their own way and connect to what is gold in this world through story. 

Our story of the past three years has been one we never would have predicted. When the pandemic was officially declared in March 2020, Carrie was just returning to work from maternity leave. Our two children were 21 months and 9 months old. A week later, both of us were pivoting to online teaching. That summer, Carrie received a terrifying diagnosis: she had stage IIIA breast cancer with a 10 cm mass and 4 involved lymph nodes. She was 36 years old, a new mother, and breastfeeding both of our children. We were devastated but ready to do whatever it took. Carrie has since undergone chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and radiation (all during the early stage of the pandemic) and will continue to undergo cancer treatment for the next 8 years before she will be in remission. It has been life-changing and refocused us on what matters most to us: health, family, community, and stories. 

A former librarian and a language arts teacher, we have a long-held love of stories and understand just how powerful they can be. Stories can capture the past, imagine the future, and interrogate the present. They can hold you and heal you, open you to other perspectives and ground you in yourself. They can help you escape, reimagine, or understand your reality. 

Now, we are hoping to change our story by making this dream of opening an independent bookstore come true. To do this, we need your help! We come from strong working-class roots, and while we have the heart, courage, passion, and expertise to get this bookstore up and running, we do not have enough funds. We are asking you to help us break through the glass ceiling that keeps folks like us ️‍(majority woman, LGBTQ+, and disabled-owned) from becoming business owners and providing an independent bookstore and community space in Regent Square. 

A contribution to our fundraiser will help prepare to open Stay Gold Books.Some ways your money will be spent: 

Your support means the world to us! ❤️ Donations of all sizes will help show realtors that people will support us before opening our doors, making it more likely to secure a brick + mortar. Thank you, thank you and stay gold.