The Bookstore That’s Bigger On The Inside Needs YOU!!!

Annie's Book Stop of Worcester
Funding for: Creating jobs

about my venture

Take one traditional used bookstore with bookcases of gently loved paperbacks and hardcovers in every genre…

Add new, exciting, hand-picked books direct from major publishing houses, small presses, and local authors...

Throw in the largest assortment of DOCTOR WHO merchandise on the Eastern seaboard of the United States…

Top it off with an incredibly knowledgeable and personable staff, and you'll get a truly unique shopping experience.

http://www.anniesbookstopworcester.com

Annie's Book Stop of Worcester has passed its critical first year of operations after a turnkey takeover in November 2010 from the prior owners. Despite the challenges created by a horrid economy and the impact of the James Street Bridge closure from July through September of 2011, we have grown our sales by more than 20% and expanded our customer base to include worldwide online sales.

However, to keep succeeding, we need your help. 

Our loyal staff of knowledgeable booksellers consists of unpaid volunteers. They have stuck with this bookstore through thick and thin and because they believe in the store’s mission. They are instrumental in helping new customers and serving the bibliophiles of central Massachusetts and beyond though the physical store and online. They deserve paychecks for their dedication.

The city of Worcester deserves to benefit from the jobs created by our employing these volunteers on a permanent basis, the revenue generated, and the lowering of the city’s and state’s unemployment rate.

Our customers, old and new, deserve the best selection and service available,  

Our local and worldwide community of authors, artists, performers and creators deserve a venue, both physical and virtual, that showcases their works and talents. Many already call this bookstore home and grow our community outreach.

The publishing industry deserves a success story in one little corner of the country and the Internet, rather than the constant bad news of storefront after storefront closing.

Help us continue to BE that success story. Thank you.

  • 0

    days to go

    $715.00

    funded of $2,000.00

    $1,285.00

    still needed

  • 36% funded

  • 23 peers have backed this project.
    Want to join them?

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  • elevator pitch

    Looking for seed money to create jobs at a truly unique bookstore.

  • backer rewards

  • THE WELCOME SIGN

    For your $5.00 pledge, you will receive a hand-written thank you note, signed by the owners and volunteers, and featuring artwork by local graphic novelist Bret M. Herholz.

    2 backers

    $5.00+ pledge

  • THE COUNTER DISPLAY

    For your $10.00 pledge, you will receive a hand-written thank you note, signed by the owners and volunteers, and featuring artwork by local graphic novelist Bret M. Herholz, as well as a collectible DOCTOR WHO postcard.

    8 backers

    $10.00+ pledge

  • THE FRONT ROOM

    For a pledge of $25.00 or more, you will receive our hand-written thank you note, a grab bag of 5 used paperbacks, and a collectible DOCTOR WHO postcard.

    8 backers

    $25.00+ pledge

  • THE OUTER STACKS

    For a pledge of $50.00 or more, you will receive our hand-written thank you note, 3 collectible DOCTOR WHO postcards, a grab bag of 10 used paperback books, and a randomly chosen DOCTOR WHO action figure.

    4 backers

    $50.00+ pledge

  • THE INNER STACKS

    For a pledge of $100.00 or more, you will receive our hand-written thank you note, a grab bag of ten used paperbacks, 5 collectible DOCTOR WHO postcards, a randomly chosen DOCTOR WHO action figure, and a $20.00 gift certificate, which may be used in-person or online.

    1 backers

    $100.00+ pledge

  • THE RARE BOOK AND TOY ROOM

    For a pledge of $250.00 or more, you will receive our hand-written thank you note, a grab bag of twenty used paperbacks, ten collectible DOCTOR WHO postcards, a radio-controlled six-inch Davros figure from Product Enterprises, and a $50.00 gift certificate, which may be used in-person or online.

    0 backers

    $250.00+ pledge

  • THE MASTER ARCHIVES AND CONSOLE ROOM

    For a pledge of $500.00, you will receive our hand-written thank you note, a grab bag of fifty used paperbacks, an assortment of twenty collectible DOCTOR WHO postcards, and a radio-controlled 12-inch Dalek figure from Product Enterprises.

    0 backers

    $500.00+ pledge
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about entrepreneur

Patty Cryan

Owner / Annie's Book Stop of Worcester

Patricia M. Cryan is, by turns, a retailer who never sleeps, a walking library of children’s literature, a fan of hard science, harder science fiction, and literary horror tales, and a freelance editor who makes strong folk cry at regular intervals.

She has been active in bookselling since 1987; her first bookstore job was at Reader's Market, a discount outlet for the Waldenbooks chain. From June 1990 until September 1996, she worked at Children's Book World in Guilderland, NY, and then relocated to Massachusetts. She became the Children's Department Head in October of 1996 at Tatnuck Bookseller & Sons. She transferred to their Purchasing Division in May of 1999, where she remained until February 2003, when she chose to pursue a career in freelance editing. She maintained a keen interest in bookselling and kept abreast of the field through contacts in the book trade.

Patricia began volunteering at her local Annie's Book Stop in August of 2008, and took over its existing operations in November 2010. Since then, she has expanded its focus beyond the traditional used books and trade-in traffic it had previously relied upon.

She has been a member in good standing of The New England Children’s Bookselling Advisory Council and the New England Independent Booksellers Association since 1999.

Since 1986, she also has also served [and continues to serve] as General Partner for Mike’s Comics - http://www.mikescomics.com - a mail order and Internet company established in 1976, which carries comic books, audio dramas, science fiction and fantasy books and collectibles, roleplaying game supplies, fantasy greeting cards, and much, much more.

Questions may be directed to Patricia via e-mail at anniesbookstopworcester@gmail.com.