Please Help Monarch Rebuild After Devastating Fraud

SOS

Dear valued customers and friends,

I’m coming to you at a very difficult time in my life and in my business to humbly ask for your help. This is a little long, but please bear with me, as I want to be as transparent as possible.

I just suffered a tremendous loss with the unexpected passing of my father. I had a trip booked Labor Day weekend to finally go visit him after 5 years of not being able to get away due to covid and having a new business. Unfortunately, he was brought to the emergency room on Monday because he was unresponsive and the doctors found he had septic shock and pneumonia. He seemed a little more alert on Tuesday and wasn’t able to talk, but the nurse put the phone to his ear and I told him I loved him and couldn’t wait to see him on Thursday - the nurse said he opened his eyes and smiled. Sadly on Wednesday, the day before I was to arrive for our visit, he passed away alone in his hospital room. So instead of a reunion, I went home and buried my father.

A loss like this makes you reevaluate your own life and I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting these last few days. So far I have realized two things: 1) I need to have better work/life balance and 2) I’ve worked really hard to build something special for our community and I’m not going down without a fight.

In April my business account was hacked and the store’s cash flow was completely wiped out. I began the bank's long and tedious process of submitting disputes to recoup those funds, but I’ve only been able to recoup a very small amount of what was stolen. Because of this, I have not been able to pay invoices to vendors, publishers and other creditors in full in order to bring my accounts current.

The economic downturn, inflation, and slower than normal summer months have all contributed to sales barely covering the day-to-day expenses such as rent, utilities, and payroll, that are essential to keeping the store open.

All of these factors combined have created a perfect storm and being able to pay invoices and cover the day-to-day operating expenses has become impossible. The vendors and publishers have been very gracious and are letting me pay smaller amounts at a time, but I'm not able to place orders, which makes it very hard to keep the store stocked and running at a standard our community is accustomed to.

We tried to replenish the funds with different promotions and events, but they simply didn’t generate enough to help us recover what was lost and we’ve fallen further behind. Every week I have to decide which bill can be late so that I can pay another one that can't be put off while anxiously hoping that enough sales will come in to then pay the bills that are past due. But, for the first time since I've been open, the store did not make rent. It took not making rent for me to realize that it’s time to ask for help.

So, I am humbly asking for your support in raising funds so Monarch can get through this setback. I’ve set a goal of $38,000. It won’t replace what was lost, but it will help to overcome the shortfall from fraud and slow summer sales, bring accounts current, pay rent, and get back to serving our community.

I will continue to work hard to support our amazing community by bringing you a well curated selection of books and unique gifts, fun events, lots of laughter and a place with good vibes that feels like a hug when you walk in. My dream is to be here long enough to watch your kids bring in their kids.

I am truly grateful for your support and look forward to being your bookseller, gift curator, barista, and friend for many years to come!

P.S. Please feel free to share this link– we need all the help we can get.

Sincerely,

Christin

owner, Monarch Books & Gifts