A Note on Earth Day
The Nature of Reading Newsletter | Spring | Week 6
Dear readers,
Happy Earth Day everyone! Today we celebrate our third birthday here at The Nature of Reading Bookshop. Three years ago on Earth Day 2022, I launched my online shop that would grow into a pop-up shop and then a physical storefront one year later. This month, we’re moving into our new location in downtown Madison, a wonderful way to celebrate our birthday.
The beginning of 2025 has been perhaps the busiest and most intense period I’ve had since starting my business, and that’s without even taking the shop move into consideration! There are too many things to recount now, when my time is as pressed as ever since we’re opening the doors of our new shop this Saturday, April 26th, which also happens to be Independent Bookstore Day.
You might have noted my change of words—indeed, we are opening doors rather than having a massive grand opening celebration. Despite my best efforts, a little over 2 weeks in the new space has not been enough time for me to pull everything together by Saturday. But fear not! I invite you to still come celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with us, at both the old shop and the new: Mario will be manning the old shop where all our books will still be located, while I’ll be at the new shop with some new gift inventory and a sneak peak of some new sections and the many possibilities that come with our space. I’m picturing it as a day of imagination! The foundations of our new home are all there, but we’ll invite you to imagine with us the space once it’s filled to the brim with books, nature-focused & sustainable gift items, and so much more.
Plus, at 5pm this Saturday, after we close the doors for the last time at our Main St location, we’d love for you to join us to form a line between the old bookstore and the new to pass along the books into their new home. It’s a bit hard to describe in writing, but if you haven’t seen the super viral video of a bookstore in Michigan doing just that, you must watch it here. So many of you have sent me this video—we simply must try it ourselves! Yes, there is the somewhat significant issue of the incredibly long Main Street traffic light where we have to cross the street to get to the new shop, but even if we run out onto the crosswalk and move just a few books along, I think it will be a lot of fun.
Here’s what you can expect for this Saturday:
open 10am-5pm for the last day at our 22 Main Street storefront
open 10am-5pm at our 4 Green Village Road storefront
a hidden Golden Ticket at 22 Main St where you can win 12 free audiobooks from Libro.fm
an array of new gift items available at 4 Green Village Rd
a likely frenzied tour of 4 Green Village Rd as I get overly excited sharing all my ideas for the space!
a book brigade at 5pm passing books from the old shop to the new shop (for as many/few as we can given the Main St crosswalk!)
Per usual, I am running late and meant to be over at the new storefront finishing up some painting. But there is one last thing I wanted to mention—if you’d like to and are able to provide some extra support for the shop as we transition into this bigger space with higher expenses and inventory costs, I would truly appreciate it: today, I’m opening up voluntary paid subscriptions on this newsletter. Everyone will continue to receive the same content for free, but if you happen to be in a financial position to do so, upgrading to a paid subscription will greatly help me weather the first few months of increased expenses at the new storefront and help me return to the regular writing of this little (or often not too little) newsletter. You can update your subscription by clicking the button below.
While there are countless other things to worry more about with all that has unfolded politically this year, it has also been an incredibly tough and scary time to think about expanding our business and increasing our expenses given the economic uncertainties that loom ever closer. I know money is tight for so many of us right now, but if you are financially able to and want to help support the shop, upgrading to a paid subscription here on Substack is a very much appreciated way to show your support. It helps keep the content free and open for everyone while enabling me to dedicate more time to writing. Or, if you’d prefer to give a one-time contribution, I’ve also set up this donation link for anyone who wishes to do so.
How scary it is to write such things! But as months-long entanglements with securing a bank loan continue to unfold, I humbly turn to my community of friends, family, and so many wonderful readers that I’ve met through the shop these past 3 years. I so appreciate each and every one of you—just reading this newsletter shows so much support for our shop.
With that, I must scurry over to the new storefront and continue to unravel the chaos that’s all jumbled up there. With four days to go before the doors open, the chaos within my own mind is likewise at an all-time high! Happy Earth Day everyone, thank you so much for being with us these three years. We’ll be closed this week until Saturday’s celebration, and please reply to this email if you have any questions about the new storefront, paid subscriptions, or Saturday’s plans.
All best wishes,
Hailey