BREAKING NEWS: December 1, 2023 – Mobile Bookstore, Bronx Bound Books Is On The Move!
Bronx Bound Books will move from their kiosk at The Mall at Bay Plaza to a NEW VENUE in December 2023! Be sure to follow them on social media (@bronxboundbooks) to stay up-to-date on what’s happening! To learn more about this mobile bookstore’s literary mission to open a brick-and-mortar bookstore for Bronx readers and help expand this movement, visit their Bronx Bound Books GoFundMe page. Click the next page to see their new venue address!
Article:
Meet Latanya DeVaughn, a Bronx native, mother of three, and owner of The Bronx’s only mobile bookstore, Bronx Bound Books. She dreamed of opening a bookstore in her beloved community for almost two decades. Still, with gentrification sweeping the area and Mom and Pop shops disappearing, she knew owning a brick-and-mortar store wasn’t feasible. So, she devised a brilliant idea: a bookstore on wheels! In May 2019, the mobile bookstore Bronx Bound Books was born.
“If I could serve my community every single day, I would!” ~ Latanya DeVaughn (Founder of Bronx Bound Books)
HOW THE MOBILE BOOKSTORE BRONX BOUND BOOKS STARTED
With Bronx Bound Books, Latanya’s mission is to bring literature to all neighborhoods of The Bronx, especially those historically underserved. The Bookstore on Wheels allows her to travel the streets, grow relationships with the community, and collaborate with local businesses, schools, parks groups, shelters, and other organizations that promote literacy. The bookstore has many books, including fiction, nonfiction, children’s, educational, and poetry. It also offers a variety of events, such as book clubs, author talks, and poetry readings. From outdoor read-aloud and book signings to writing workshops to arts and crafts, Bronx Bound Books offers everything a traditional bookstore does, with the added benefit of mobility. She can also provide bus rentals to schools and organizations that allow the FREE delivery of books to those who attend the event. That’s awesome!
“This mom of three (Ladeva DeVaughn) and founder of Bronx Bound Books built a mobile bookstore for her community. Now, she’s inspiring others to invest in themselves.” – Parents.com
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Since its official announcement in May 2019, Bronx Bound Books has made significant strides in making books accessible to the community. Through partnerships and donations, they’ve given away over 7,000 books to readers in The Bronx. And with a market value that reflects the community, they encourage book ownership in every home.
While Latanya previously relied on her feet to do the work, acquiring a small business grant allowed her to purchase a bus, letting her do even more for her community. With the help of her friends (the people all over the country hearing about Bronx Bound Books’ major GoFundMe success), she was able to have the bus remodeled and painted. As a result, Bronx Bound Books is better equipped to show up for the borough and continue fulfilling its vision. With the support of the people, the mobile bookstore Bronx Bound Books will continue to bring literature to every neighborhood of The Bronx.
“Bronx Bound Books is the Bronx’s first and ONLY mobile bookstore. Making it the second bookstore in the Bronx.” – Welcome2TheBronx
Welcome2TheBronx is an award-winning, local, online factual news publication based in the Bronx that has been providing essential stories about the Bronx borough for over ten years. Ed García Conde of Welcome2TheBronx was the first to report on the mobile bookstore coming to the Bronx. In addition, he attended the Bronx Bound Books business reveal in May 2019.
You can read the full story here: https://www.welcome2thebronx.com/2019/05/07/the-bronx-is-getting-another-bookstore/.
