Third Place Books to donate 20% of Saturday sales to Puerto Rico

20% of Saturday sales for Puerto Rico
Photo by Jerry Pickard

This Saturday, October 21, 2017, Third Place Books will donate 20 percent of sales at all three of its store locations (Lake Forest Park, Ravenna, and Seward Park) to relief efforts in Puerto Rico, which has been devastated by Hurricane Maria.

Proceeds will go to Unidos Disaster Relief Fund, sponsored by the Hispanic Federation, an organization that Consumer Reports says “has been reviewed and received high ratings from two of the watchdogs, Charity Navigator and BBB Wise Giving Alliance.”

The donation is the idea of Christina Bearer, a bookseller at Third Place Books Ravenna. “We all know that the individual can be way more powerful when joined together with others,” Bearer said in an email to the company’s management.

“I feel galvanized to turn to my community and ask, what can we do together to address a terrible need? It feels very natural for me to turn to Third Place and hope that maybe we can all do something together, and make a difference that way.”

Third Place Books joins other literary bookstores nationwide that have made similar efforts, like Webster’s (State College, PA) and Island Bookstore (Outer Banks, NC), and publishers like Fireside and Restless Books, as well as the ad hoc group Publishers for Puerto Rico.

The decision to donate a portion of Saturday’s proceeds came quickly: one of the benefits of being a community-based, independently owned business. With little time to organize, we hope that coverage of this fundraiser inspires Seattleites to take part— perhaps by taking care of some early holiday shopping— and that other bookstores and Seattle-based businesses will also participate.