Bookseller Stories

Morning is slowly stirring on a hot summer day in downtown Brighton, Michigan – traffic is light and there are still parking spots along the quaint street lined with overflowing petunia baskets. Nestled in the middle of Main Street, located below street level, is the 2 Dandelions Bookshop where owners Jeri Kay (Dandelion #1) and Jeanne (Dandelion #2) are sitting in the pre-opening quiet reliving an unexpected surprise that happened the morning of the store’s opening day.

Morning is slowly stirring on a hot summer day in downtown Brighton, Michigan – traffic is light and there are still parking spots along the quaint street lined with overflowing petunia baskets. Nestled in the middle of Main Street, located below street level, is the 2 Dandelions Bookshop where owners Jeri Kay (Dandelion #1) and Jeanne (Dandelion #2) are sitting in the pre-opening quiet reliving an unexpected surprise that happened the morning of the store’s opening day.

When a loved one passes away, it’s a hard time for a family no matter the circumstances. And when their loved one’s death was unplanned for, it can fall hard on the grieving family when the funeral expenses create hardship. When savings are limited, this unexpected and often large expense creates a further burden on a family who is trying to process their sadness and grief.

In 2019 we received more assistance requests for help paying for medical care than any other category of emergency assistance. According to a recent Gallup survey, a third of U.S. adults say their family couldn’t afford care in the past year. When booksellers and comic retailers delay or forgo required medical treatment, problems escalate and become more expensive and even life-threatening. This was the situation faced by a bookseller recently, but because of supporters like you, they knew where to call for help.

If you see it in the news, Binc is helping booksellers through it. Booksellers are reaching out to Binc every day for help recovering from natural disasters, needing mental health resources and assistance, immigration issues, and more. Thanks to partners and donors like you, Binc is here, standing by ready to help every qualifying bookseller in the country.