Overview

Hi bush tea sippers! I am Simfoni Marie: educator, traveler, and avid reader “bahn and raised” in the Virgin Islands. I am the woman behind the Books ‘n Bush Tea brand and, like many of you reading this, I also grew up in Dockside Bookshop: the popular bookstore that was a cornerstone in the Virgin Islands community since 1978. I, along with many Virgin Islanders, was DEVASTATED when Dockside Bookshop closed in 2013, taking the island’s bookstore count from one to zero.

Now, I am on a mission to bring a homegrown bookstore back to the Virgin Islands, and I need your help. Join me in building a bookstore that will truly be a place to tell our own stories. A bookstore fo’ deh culcha!

The Vision

Now more than ever, Virgin Islanders and Caribbean people alike, are desperately seeking a place to tell our own stories using our own voices. That’s why, this fall, Books ‘n Bush Tea will be opening as a mobile bookstore in the U.S. Virgin Islands. For my native Virgin Islanders, picture Dockside Bookshop, but compact and on wheels. A mobile bookstore will allow us to travel between the three islands (and maybe, even to other Caribbean islands) and bring books to areas with little access to them.

Books ‘n Bush Tea will be the official bookstore of the U.S.  Virgin Islands. Our truck will be bursting at the seams with books by authors and illustrators from every corner of the Caribbean. In fact, every title on our shelves will be Caribbean-authored and/or Caribbean-illustrated. We will offer a curated selection of titles that will range from board books to novels to cookbooks, and everything in between. We will also offer dope Books ‘n Bush Tea merch and book accessories. Oh, and don’t forget the bush tea! All of the bush tea on our truck will be sourced from Caribbean-owned small businesses, of course.

It’s time for us to show the world that the Caribbean experience is not a monolith. If you were raised on books ‘n bush tea, or even if you weren’t and just want to see our Caribbean community thrive as much as we do, I’m asking you to help us get to our goal of $115,000, which represents a fraction of Books ‘n Bush Tea’s total start-up budget. Every dollar we raise beyond our goal is a dollar that goes toward buying the building for our future brick-and-mortar location.

CHOOSE YOUR REWARD AND HELP US BRING A MOBILE BOOKSTORE TO THE VIRGIN ISLANDS! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO OPEN A BOOKSTORE “FO’ DEH CULCHA”?

It turns out bookstores are pretty expensive. But, not as expensive as an entire generation of children growing up without knowledge of self. Let that sink in, then keep reading. While my personal investment will take us some of the way, I still need your help to customize the truck, purchase opening inventory and our point-of-sale inventory management system, and to get the truck home to the Virgin Islands. Books ‘n Bush Tea is not my bookstore; it is OUR bookstore. For the sake of transparency, I want you to know how your contribution will help us bring a homegrown bookstore to the Virgin Islands.

The Break Down

• Purchase, Renovation, and Restructure of an 18′ Diesel Step Van: This includes restructuring the entire vehicle, structuring the roof and brace for ac install, running electrical amp service, fabricating the bookshelves, fabricating the seating area, installing flooring, mounting the generator, etc. = $53,000

• Books & Non-Book Merchandise = $55,000 Once we the truck is built, we’ll need to fill it from top to bottom with all things Caribbean lit!

• Point-of-Sale/Inventory Management System = $7,500

• Cost of Shipping the Truck to the Virgin Islands = $3,000

• Mobile Vendor Licenses/Permits/Insurance = $6,500

• Indiegogo Fees = Indiegogo deserves their cut for bringing us together = 5% of funds raised + 30 cents per contribution (includes platform and credit card fees) + cost of perks + cost to ship your perks to you (shipping is included in the perk cost).

Spread the word!

A project like ours depends on word of mouth! Use Indiegogo’s share tools, use the hashtag #ahomegrownbookstore and tag us!

Follow us on social media: We’re @booksnbushtea on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Don’t forget to share the story with your friends and family!

Thank You!

Thank you from the Books ‘n Bush Tea Team! With your support, we will make Books ‘n Bush Tea a household name for generations to come. Most importantly, we cannot wait for you to join us at the Books ‘n Bush Tea books truck when we open in the fall of 2021!