Photograph of Browser Books at 2195 Fillmore by Daniel Bahmani
A PUBLIC APPEAL | CATIE DAMON
We need the help of the neighborhood to ensure that people continue to make memories at Browser Books, as they have for decades.
With the proliferation of online shopping and e-books, it has been challenging to keep Browser’s doors open. When the recession hit in 2008, we almost closed, and my dad, owner Stephen Damon, was forced to double down so that the shop could continue. Business has vastly improved since then, but the debt has accrued. And my dad can no longer sustain the debt and his medical bills.
This month, we begin running a GoFundMe campaign to save Browser Books. The goal is to raise $75,000 to pay off the store’s debts. Any money received after the debt has been paid will go to building the store’s future. This will enable the bookstore to continue under the direction of its longtime employees.
If we cannot raise this sum, my dad will be forced to close Browser Books at the end of the year and the neighborhood will lose an important literary and cultural center.
For more details — and to donate to the campaign — please go HERE.
UPDATE: The campaign to raise $75,000 to retire the debts of Browser Books and help keep it in business was overwhelmingly successful and topped its goal within a month.
Said owner Stephen Damon: “In the 40 years I’ve worked at Browser, the neighborhood has changed quite a bit, but I’ve always loved the community. Today as we reach the goal of our campaign, I am overwhelmed with the love the community has shown us. Part of the success of the campaign has been an increase in sales, which I hope continues through the years.”
FIRST PERSON: “Growing up at Browser Books“