Support Sweet Peas + Back Forty Books Two Harbors
Donation protected
Hi, friends we know and friends we haven’t yet met. It's Randy and Katie Lancaster. We're the people behind Sweet Peas and Back Forty Books, an indie bookstore in Two Harbors, Minnesota.
Our shop is located on Highway 61, right “smack dab” in the center of town — next to Judy's Cafe. You may not have noticed us, as our storefront is a little narrow. But inside ... the shop spans the entire length of our building and is filled to the brim with new and used books.
The other amazing thing about our store is our vast collection of treasures created by more than 20 local artisans and crafters. We love providing a venue and source of income for these creative individuals.
Although we are open year ’round, ours is a business that is truly sustained by visitors to the north shore of Lake Superior — of which there are none these days. The Covid-19 crisis has hit all of us so hard — gravely affecting many, many people worldwide. And our hearts go out to you all as we face this crisis together from our respective homes.
Our entire store business plan is based on in-store browsing. Seasonal traffic and “word of mouth” have been our promotional go-tos, and they have always worked well for us — until now. Face-to-face interaction with our customers and partners is what we love as well as putting the right book into the right hands at the right time. We want to be able to continue to be here for you, but we are worried about our longevity — like so many other entrepreneurs and small-business owners.
We need your help. We have enough in personal emergency savings to cover two months of rent and business expenses, which puts us in real jeopardy by June 1, when that savings will run out. We have created this Go Fund Me campaign to help to cover our store rent, utilities, liabilities and make sure we have enough on hand to re-open once we make it through.
We are also applying for small-business loans and pursuing other means of assistance to help us continue to get by, so please know we are not leaving any stones unturned. However, we intend to proceed with caution as it simply does not make financial sense for us to take out loans and pay interest, without any indication we can re-open soon or generate any meaningful income to pay them off. Funds given to this campaign will help us weather this storm and make sure we can ultimately reach our goal, which is to keep our business afloat in Two Harbors for years to come and continue to provide great books and art to both local customers and seasonal visitors.
The following is a quote from one of our favorite books right now - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy:
“What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” asked the boy.
“Help,” said the horse.
We are grateful for all of you that have reached out the past couple weeks to order gift certificates and books. Words are not enough to express our appreciation.
If you are able, would you please help us? Offering a small donation or sharing our Go Fund Me page would be greatly appreciated. We so look forward to seeing you again.
Humbly,
Katie and Randy Lancaster
Our shop is located on Highway 61, right “smack dab” in the center of town — next to Judy's Cafe. You may not have noticed us, as our storefront is a little narrow. But inside ... the shop spans the entire length of our building and is filled to the brim with new and used books.
The other amazing thing about our store is our vast collection of treasures created by more than 20 local artisans and crafters. We love providing a venue and source of income for these creative individuals.
Although we are open year ’round, ours is a business that is truly sustained by visitors to the north shore of Lake Superior — of which there are none these days. The Covid-19 crisis has hit all of us so hard — gravely affecting many, many people worldwide. And our hearts go out to you all as we face this crisis together from our respective homes.
Our entire store business plan is based on in-store browsing. Seasonal traffic and “word of mouth” have been our promotional go-tos, and they have always worked well for us — until now. Face-to-face interaction with our customers and partners is what we love as well as putting the right book into the right hands at the right time. We want to be able to continue to be here for you, but we are worried about our longevity — like so many other entrepreneurs and small-business owners.
We need your help. We have enough in personal emergency savings to cover two months of rent and business expenses, which puts us in real jeopardy by June 1, when that savings will run out. We have created this Go Fund Me campaign to help to cover our store rent, utilities, liabilities and make sure we have enough on hand to re-open once we make it through.
We are also applying for small-business loans and pursuing other means of assistance to help us continue to get by, so please know we are not leaving any stones unturned. However, we intend to proceed with caution as it simply does not make financial sense for us to take out loans and pay interest, without any indication we can re-open soon or generate any meaningful income to pay them off. Funds given to this campaign will help us weather this storm and make sure we can ultimately reach our goal, which is to keep our business afloat in Two Harbors for years to come and continue to provide great books and art to both local customers and seasonal visitors.
The following is a quote from one of our favorite books right now - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, by Charlie Mackesy:
“What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” asked the boy.
“Help,” said the horse.
We are grateful for all of you that have reached out the past couple weeks to order gift certificates and books. Words are not enough to express our appreciation.
If you are able, would you please help us? Offering a small donation or sharing our Go Fund Me page would be greatly appreciated. We so look forward to seeing you again.
Humbly,
Katie and Randy Lancaster
Organizer
Katie Lancaster
Organizer
Two Harbors, MN