Entrepreneur pitches independent bookstore for Bloomington
Twilight Deng presented her vision for 'Bookmother,' an independent bookstore she hopes to open in Bloomington, to the City Council on July 17. The proposal aims to fill a 30-year gap in the city's retail landscape and create a community gathering space.
Deng, a 20-year Bloomington resident, outlined her plan to open a multi-purpose bookstore that would serve as both a retail destination and cultural hub. "Bloomington hasn't had an independent bookstore in almost 30 years. And we deserve it. We deserve a space that fosters community," Deng told the council.
The bookstore concept goes beyond simply selling books. Deng emphasized that 'Bookmother' would be designed to attract diverse readers and serve as a gathering place—what she called a "third space" where community members can connect. She also highlighted the business's potential to generate revenue and draw visitors to the city.
"We are working really hard to make sure that we build a viable revenue generating bookstore that helps bring not just money to the city but creates a cultural destination for people," Deng said. She drew on her family's long involvement with reading in Bloomington, including participation in school readathons and book committees at Oakgrove Elementary and Kennedy High School.
Deng's personal motivation is straightforward: "The best thing I can tell you is I love reading. I love Bloomington and I want to combine those two things together."
The council did not take a formal vote on the proposal during the meeting, as it was presented for informational purposes only. However, Deng is moving forward with her plans. She will present her full business plan at Hatch Bloomington, a local entrepreneurship program, on August 6. Deng called on community members to support her participation in that program, signaling that she is actively developing the project and seeking broader community backing.
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Presentation on 'Bookmother' Independent Bookstore Proposal
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Twilight Deng presented her vision for 'Bookmother,' a new independent bookstore in Bloomington, Minnesota. She highlighted its role as a community third space and retail outlet, emphasizing the city's 30-year absence of such a venue. Deng detailed the store's multi-purpose nature, aiming to attract diverse readers and serve as a cultural destination while also generating revenue. She called for community support at an upcoming Hatch Bloomington event.
Bloomington hasn't had an independent bookstore in almost 30 years. And we deserve it. We deserve a space that fosters community.
We are working really hard to make sure that we build a viable revenue generating bookstore that helps bring not just money to the city but creates a cultural destination for people.
The best thing I can tell you is I love reading. I love Bloomington and I want to combine those two things together.
Source document
[0:00] Hi, I'm Twilight Deng and I'm a 20-year
[0:02] resident of Bloomington, Minnesota. And
[0:04] I'm opening a bookstore. It's called
[0:05] Bookmother. It's a community third space
[0:08] and a retail space that is meant to
[0:10] bring people together. Why do I want a
[0:13] bookstore? Because I love reading and I
[0:15] love this town. 20 years ago, I decided
[0:18] to make a living here and I decided to
[0:20] move here with my family. and we have
[0:22] been involved in reading at every level
[0:24] whether it's running the readathon at
[0:26] Oakrove Elementary, sitting on the book
[0:29] um committee at Kennedy High School
[0:31] today or the years that we helped
[0:33] volunteer with Bookham. We love reading
[0:35] and I wanted to find a way to marry the
[0:38] love of the city, the love of reading
[0:40] and honestly my love of building
[0:42] businesses in a space where we could all
[0:44] benefit. Now our store is going to be a
[0:47] multi-purpose bookstore. So, there's all
[0:49] types of genres and even more, we want
[0:52] all types of readers in our space. This
[0:54] is for your avid readers, the slow
[0:56] readers, the people who don't read
[0:58] traditional books, people who love audio
[1:00] books, cuz that's reading, too. Everyone
[1:03] is welcome in our space. Why do we need
[1:05] this? Because Bloomington hasn't had an
[1:07] independent bookstore in almost 30
[1:10] years. And we deserve it. We deserve a
[1:12] space that fosters community. And I want
[1:15] to help build that. But remember, it's
[1:16] also a retail space. So I have an
[1:18] advisory team and we are working really
[1:20] hard to make sure that we build a viable
[1:22] revenue generating bookstore that helps
[1:26] bring not just money to the city but
[1:29] creates a cultural destination for
[1:30] people. We want people to come to
[1:32] Bloomington and spend time here and even
[1:34] more I want people to come here and
[1:35] spend money in my bookstore.
[1:38] The best thing I can tell you is I love
[1:40] reading. I love Bloomington and I want
[1:42] to combine those two things together.
[1:44] So, please come out on August 6th uh
[1:47] when we have the next round at Hatch
[1:48] Bloomington. You can see me and all of
[1:50] my other colleagues and competitors. Um
[1:52] and I would love to have you come out
[1:54] and support. Thank you so much and thank
[1:56] you for supporting Bookmother.
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