WHAT HAPPENED TO AVANTPOP BOOKSTORE THIS WEEK & WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

1. We were lied to and manipulated about the May 18 event happening in front of our business
2. Forced closure due to noxious odors from this event set up outside our shop
3. Our business was blocked from this event with thousands of attendees
4. Loss of income due to event setup days before, during, and days after.
5. To top it off, our work truck was vandalized and broken into

We love our store, our neighbors, and our customers. But now we are struggling. And we hope all our reading freaks can help….

The county and the promoters originally told us that this May 18th was to “revitalize” the area and promote the businesses that are in the Commercial Center, using a $200,000 grant. The event would have a parade of Classic Liberace-owned Cars and would be fun for the whole family. Then, a few days before the event they announce that Deadmau5 would be performing and they gave away 12,000 tickets. 

Okay, not what they told us. Then Clark County Parks & Rec told us we had to close our business the day of the event, due to them building a fence barrier around all the shops at New Orleans Square. What?! 

They also decided to set up the stage and the fire-breathing metal Burning Man art (El Pulpo) right in front of our store. The smell of fuel, WD-40, and paint was so bad that people couldn't be in our store long over the whole time they were setting up. 

Some customers thought they were escaping the smell from outside only to find that it was lingering in the store, too. They would quickly leave. By Monday, we couldn't spend 5 minutes in our bookstore, so we also had to close for two days until they were done setting up. 

This killed close to a week of business for us. Our neighbors behind us had an employee who got so sick from the toxic fumes, that they had to go home and miss a day of work.

The county and promoters who received the $200,000 grant to “revitalize” the area just kept telling us it would all be worth it. 

Some of the businesses started posting images and videos of what was happening, which we reshared as did others, and it made it to the local media. This really pissed the county and promoters off!!

Las Vegas businesses share concern over access to Commercial Center block party, county addresses issue

Clark County promised a "revitalization" celebration, but delivered fences and a rave

So they made a small opening in the gates and said people can still shop, and that it was always going to be the case.

The next day we came to work and they had put up green tarps on the fence so no one could see our businesses. 

During the event, they parked all the emergency and police vehicles in front of the Bookstore, which of course made the whole area unapproachable. 

Crowd of over 10,000 expected at “The Fabulous Commercial Center Block Party”

Here's how it looked at Avantpop Bookstore at 9:30pm, and for the rest of the event.

So we lost almost a week of sales for an event we were told would be the most money we have ever made….an event we were originally told was to help us small businesses. 

“It got bigger than what we originally discussed, but anybody who has their doors open, I guarantee will have the biggest record day in sales,” said Stonebarger. “So for someone to not be happy about this, regardless of whether there's a fence, there's a fence in front of my building, you know, it's no big deal. There's still, that's for safety, there's thousands of people in front of your business, and they want to come in. So take advantage of that, that would be my message.”

Source: news3lv.com article (by Brett Forrest Thu, May 18th 2023, 8:49 PM PDT)

Here's all of the five sales from the night of the event. Obviously not “the biggest record days sale” as promised.

We were lied to and manipulated by the county and promoters. They don't want to revitalize and help the existing businesses, they want to demolish, rebuild, and gentrify the area and push us all out. 

Even those that came to the event pointed out that we were blocked off.

The worst part of all, it's hard enough to have a bookstore anywhere in the USA right now, especially in the Commercial Center that the city had left behind to die. So even on the days we only make $200, those little sales helps us pay rent and eat. We told them this and they said we don't matter and we are a waste of resources.

By the way, it is now the next Saturday after the event and they are still tearing down the event, and again, doing it right in front of our bookstore.

To top it all off, not only have they sent their trolls after us on social media and begun spreading lies about us, saying we are ungrateful and unworthy, but our work truck was vandalized and broken into. An unexpected cost on top of a week's worth of lost wages.

It's just the two of us. Our whole life is invested in this bookstore and our publishing company. We never planned on opening a brick-and-mortar shop, but we love working with local artists, visiting with tourists, and spending time with all the reading freaks.

We love our store, our neighbors, and our customers. But now we are struggling. And we hope all our reading freaks can help….

FOR THOSE THAT DONATE $30 OR MORE, YOU WILL RECEIVE SHWA'S FIRST BOOK, "OH, THE A**HOLES YOU'LL MEET!" which seems fitting. (Free shipping to all US donors)

Sugar & Shwa,

Avantpop Books