A Pop-Up Bookstore on Penn Ave?

You heard right!

From May 24th through May 27th, the back room of Cats and Dogs Coffee will become Clowder & Pack, a pop-up bookstore, whose proceeds will go to Assemble, a community space for art and technology further up Penn Ave.

What is a pop-up store?

As the name implies, it is a store that exists for just a very short time before disappearing, perhaps forever. Some pop-up stores are like the moles of Whack-a-Mole fame, hopping from location to location. Some are seasonal, like Halloween stores. Others are one-shot enterprises. Wikipedia has more information, for the curious.

Why a pop-up store?

Why not? Pittsburgh could use a four day festival of literature and literary arts. Penn Ave could use another independent bookstore. Local authors could use a venue for selling, promoting, and reading their work. Cats and Dogs could use a host of new and newly-interested customers. Assemble is always looking for donations to continue their work bringing arts and technology events to the Garfield community. A pop-up bookstore meets all of those needs, and is, frankly, awesome. Everybody wins!

How will this work?

May 24-27, you'll come and buy books. Most of the books will be donated books, used, for sale at $2 each. Proceeds from these will go directly to Assemble. Some of the books will be new copies of books, comics, and zines from local authors. These will be for sale at whatever price that author sets, and proceeds will go straight back to the author.

When you stop by, you will be walking through a wonderful local cafe in order to reach the books, and so coffee and other beverages are a natural next step after your purchases.

There will also be readings and activities over the four days, with authors both local and global.

Who is running this thing?

I am. My name is Connor Sites-Bowen.  I am a thinker, urbanist, and non-profit consultant. I love Pittsburgh and I love reading. I am a Public Allies alumnus and graduate of Carnegie Mellon's BXA program.

How can I help?

Over the next month, we will be looking for a number of things:

• Donated Books. Used books can be dropped off at Cats and Dogs any time in the next month. Proceeds from their sale will go to Assemble.
• Books, Comics, and Zines by Local Authors. Authors are encouraged to contact us about setting up books for consignment, as well as readings, signings, or other events. Readers who want an author to read or speak or sign or sell should contact that author and encourage them to contact us!
• Publicity. If you think this is awesome, please tweet, like, plus, blog, and share it to your friends and family. There are sharing buttons at the bottom of this post. If you'd like fliers to print out or other marketing material to spread, contact us.  
• People to Read. Even if you haven't published work, if there is something you'd like to read, or a reading event you'd like to host, let us know!

Mark your calenders! May 24-27, Clowder & Pack will sell you books!