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Making
a Difference: World Eye Bookshop
April
4, 2001
I've
always liked World Eye Bookshop in Greenfield. What's
not to like? They've got an interesting selection of
books, great service, a comfy couch and toys for the
kids. Give
me a cup of coffee and a toilet and I could live there!
But when I recently overheard a customer tell the
cashier "Give my donation to NELCWIT," and
another customer say "I want my percentage to go to
Big Brothers/ Big Sisters," I had to learn more.
So
I spoke with Fran Gardner, World Eye's manager, and she
told me a bit about World Eye's mission. "We want
to do three things here," Fran says. "Sell
books, give great customer service and give back to the
community. We can't possibly compete with Barnes &
Noble or Amazon.com on how many books we can stock. But
we can compete on service. And by giving back to the
community."
One
way that World Eye gives back to the community is
through its Community Support Program. Through this
program World Eye donates 3 percent of any sale
(excluding sale items and UNICEF items) on any day to
one of 15 local non-profit organizations.
The recipients include the Greenfield Animal
Shelter, The Franklin County Home Care Corp., Hospice at
Franklin Medical Center, the Literacy Project and many
other worthy organizations. Ask at World Eye Bookshop
for a list of participating non-profits. Simply mention
an organization's name when you make your purchase and
the donation is made.
The
folks at World Eye feel that this is a good way to
support a community which has done so much to support
them. "In January of 1996 World Eye Bookshop on
Federal Street burnt to the ground," Fran
explained. "We all stood on the sidewalk -- our
customers stood there with us -- and watched it burn. It
was a horrible thing. After that, Antha Smith, who owns
the store, thought maybe it was time to retire.
But the community outreach after the fire was
amazing. Antha's house looked like someone had died, it
was so full of flowers and plants.
And when the news came out that we were going to
rent our present space, the front windows were covered
in love letters to the bookstore."
Fran
thinks Greenfield is a great place for the bookstore and
a great place to live. "I like the diversity and
the politics," she told me. "I first came to
Franklin County for a teaching job while I was still
living in Northampton.
Pretty soon I decided I would much rather live up
here. I like the pace. I like the combination of
politics and easiness. I like that it's a small
community. I like that people know one another. I like
that the people at Rose-Ann's Bakery know how I like my
coffee."
Fran
says there are two reasons why people should shop at
World Eye rather than at a large chain store or online.
"We're a great bookstore and we will knock
ourselves out to give you great service. But why should
people shop at any local business? Because you want it
to stay. We were closed for four and a half months after
the fire. And when we opened back up people came in and
told us, 'We don't like how it feels to live in a town
without a bookstore.'”
So
before you make your next book purchase at Barnes &
Noble or at Amazon.com, ask yourself: "How much are
they giving back to my community?"
(Back
to Making a Difference)
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