Ida's Bookshop in Collingswood raises enough money to stay open
COLLINGSWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- A Camden County bookstore owner is breathing a sigh of relief Wednesday night after just raising enough money to keep the store open.
At Ida's Bookshop in Collingswood, special stories – are stacking up.
But the most triumphant tale is one you'll experience when you enter.
On Jan. 3, shop owner Jeannine Cook posted to Instagram: "Our landlord is going up on rent into a rate that we cannot afford. Our lease ironically ends in February – which means sadly one of the few Black-owned businesses in this community would close during Black History Month."
So Cook came up with an unusual idea – she offered to pay a full year's rent upfront if it meant only a slight increase and the landlord accepted.
But Cook didn't have the money and feared Ida's would be closed to the community she loves.
"We've built up relationships here, I've watched babies grow up here," Cook said.
Then, Cook's post caught the eye of a character who would be central to this plot.
Isis Williams, the president of the Haddon Township Equity Initiative, saw her post on social media.
"I said, 'OK, what are we going to do?'" Williams said.
Williams and Cook planned a modern rent party. Historically, the big bashes were held in apartments as a way for Black tenants in 1920s Harlem to pay for their skyrocketing rent. They set the rent party for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
And leading up to it, they launched a GoFundMe to raise $23,000.
The day of the party, they shared music, comradery and ideas on how to keep the shop alive.
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When Cook checked that evening, they hit $19,000. Then, just five days after launch, they met their goal.
"I feel so reassured," Cook said.
As of Wednesday, the GoFundMe has raised more than $24,000 – making one happy main character in this tale.
"I don't think we do it alone," Cook said.