A Seat at the Table Books - Elk Grove
Elk Grove's bookstore & coffee shop! Books for all ages, coffee/tea, breakfast, lunch, and snacks, play area, quiet & conf rooms, and events
Project Description
Why Give
Give because...
- You believe in the power of bookstores and community spaces.
- Elk Grove has nothing like us. We bring together espresso, food, a play area, a bookstore, a safe space, celebration of all identities, a hub for community events, an independently owned business, a place to shop for thoughtful gifts, and a coworking space where you can get great coffee to fuel you, and we're a partner in your progressive endeavors.
- Funding options in normal years are very limited for new businesses, and while we were impacted significantly by COVID, we also don't qualify for COVID relief because we went into business in 2020.
- You want a place to gather with friends and just be who you are. You value small business. This will be a go-to spot for your gatherings and family.
- This is far more than one family's dream. This is a community. This is a movement. And you can be part of this from the beginning.
Who We Are
A Seat at the Table Books uplifts the oppressed and smashes the kyriarchy through books, coffee, and community. We celebrate each other's identities, backgrounds, and abilities with books and related products, an inviting coffee shop, a play area, cultural opportunities, education, a conference room/coworking space, and opportunities to build connection with others. We strive to represent and honor every citizen of Elk Grove's culture, race, spirituality, gender and sexual identity, size, immigration status, neurodiversity, and (dis)ability.
Founder Emily Autenrieth is an LGBTQ+ activist, parent, and avid reader who is passionate about inclusion. She and her spouse, Ryan, are raising two children who attend Elk Grove schools, and Ryan is a school counselor in EGUSD.
What We've Done Already
As a pop-up and delivery bookstore, we have led the I Am Elk Grove social media campaign to redefine our city and celebrate diversity and are filming the Smash Every Binary YouTube series. Our pop-ups have introduced Elk Grove to new concepts and created community excitement around our vision. We have been on Good Day Sacramento, featured in Elk Grove Tribune, interviewed by the national trade magazine Publishers Weekly, and active in our community. Leaders in our community, such as Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen and CSD Director Jaclyn Moreno, are proud supporters of our store and our work.
What Comes Next
But it's time for more. Elk Grove's 174,000 citizens do not have a bookstore, and we have too few independent coffee shops. Residents miss Borders (which closed in 2011) and often drive 30-45 minutes away just to visit a bookstore.
In our physical space, we will meet crucial unmet needs in Elk Grove. We will be the place for:
- Residents and travelers to shop for books and toys in person.
- Parents to connect with each other.
- Children to socialize and play.
- Seniors to spend time together.
- Marginalized groups to gather and feel celebrated.
- Allies to learn.
- Community leaders to host events.
- Nonprofits to raise funds.
- Neurodiverse people to feel accepted for who they are.
- Coffee lovers to enjoy great coffee and a stronger indie coffee community.
- Remote workers, students, and others to use a flexible and welcoming coworking space.
Your Help Matters
Brick-and-mortar stores are expensive to establish and operate, so to make this incredible vision a reality, we need your support.
Independent bookstores and coffee shops both provide a unique value, identity, and sense of place to their communities. As Elk Grove’s only bookstore, one of its few indie coffee shops, and a rare truly progressive space, we will meet a wide range of needs and become a central community hub where our city’s residents can feel a strong sense of belonging, unity, and meaning. With your help, we can bring this vision into reality and make Elk Grove a more inclusive and safer place. Thank you so much for helping us give everyone in Elk Grove a seat at the table.
Updates
The Campaign FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions:
- When will I receive my rewards?
- Rewards are shipped within two weeks of your contribution and will arrive about one week after they are shipped.
- What if I want to donate, but don't need the reward?
- You can choose our "monetary contribution" option to simply contribute to the campaign without receiving a reward, or you can regift your rewards once you receive them.
- How else can I support you?
- Thanks for asking! You can buy logo items from our Etsy shop, shout us out on social media (seriously, getting the word out is huge), visit our pop-ups in person if you're local, and shop with us online from anywhere.
- Finally, please tell everyone you know about this crowdfunding campaign (use the Share Campaign button to make it easy). Opening a bookstore/cafe anywhere, but especially in an expensive market like Elk Grove, is a real leap of faith, and crowdfunding matters.
- Can I buy other items with that amazing crowdfunding design? Who made it?
- Keep an eye on the campaign for new rewards as time goes on, since we'll add things to keep the options fresh. Have some ideas? Email us at [email protected]!
- Our artist is a local middle schooler named Aubree Howell! We're floored by her talent and love what she designed for us.
- When's the grand opening party?
- Because construction timelines are so hard to pin down, we can't say for sure yet, but we'll give you plenty of notice. Can't make it? You can regift your tickets or talk to us about other ways to be rewarded for that contribution on a case-by-case basis.
- What will coworking be like?
- We'll have six coworking stations available during each 3.5-hour time slot. We will open each week's or month's slots to members first, followed by the general public. We will only sell enough memberships to fill half the slots so you can be confident you'll get a spot when you need it.
- During your reserved time, you'll have a designated desk and table in the conference room (where everyone agrees to keep quiet), use of the printer/scanner/copier (limits TBD, but they'll be reasonable), wifi, discounts on cafe purchases, and more.
- If you're an inaugural member, please tell us what else you think would make the difference for other remote workers in Elk Grove.
Your name on a leaf on our tree mural, plus everything in Tiers 1-4 in a beautiful tote featuring our custom design by local middle schooler Aubree Howell.
You want to contribute just because you care! Give any amount here.
- $50 covers one seat, $150 covers one table, and $200 buys a seat and a table. (See what we did there?)
- $230 buys one Nugget Comfort play couch for our quiet room
- $300 gives us one of our sinks.
- $500 covers one bookshelf.
- $770 gets us our under-counter ice bin.
- $1,700 buys one grinder or our drip coffee machine.
- $2,500 covers our fridge and $3,600 covers our freezer.
- $5,700 covers our refrigerated display case.
- $10,000 buys our espresso machine.
- $25,000 takes care of all staffing costs for one month.
We'll mail you a waterproof sticker of our campaign art and a personal thank-you note.
Get Tier 1 plus a tissue-wrapped book tied up with string. Tell us if you'd like adult fiction, adult nonfiction, young adult (12-18), or middle grade (8-13).
Along with Tiers 1 & 2, get a campaign art T-shirt in an adult or children's size of your choice.
Get Tiers 1-3, a campaign art mug, and half-off drip coffee or tea from November 1, 2021 to November, 1, 2022, when you have us serve you in your mug!
Your name will be painted on a leaf on our beautiful, large tree mural above the bookstore checkout and conference room. Although the reward image is for concept purposes only, we'll share preview images of the mural as soon as we have them!
Two tickets to our grand opening party OR one exclusive two-hour rental of the bookstore after hours, plus everything in the "You're totes bringing this dream to life" package and your name on a leaf on our tree mural.
Our photographer, who did the I Am Elk Grove campaign, will give you a dedicated one-hour photo shoot at the bookstore for you and up to five people and 50+ Digital images. Your photo shoot will be followed by a half-hour private shopping experience with a $100 shopping budget. Plus, you'll receive a waterproof sticker for everyone in your photo shoot.
Save $100 on a one-year coworking membership! Reserve a 3.5-hour slot at a coworking desk in our conference room up to 15 times per month, get discounts on cafe purchases, and use our printer/scanner. We'll also send you a personal thank-you note with a waterproof sticker.
We will donate 50 books in your name to a school of your choice and give you two tickets to our grand opening party or a two-hour exclusive rental of our space after hours. Plus, you'll get everything in the "You're totes bringing this dream to life" reward package.
Your name on a branch of our tree will commemorate your foundational gift, which will fund either our live-edge center table, 10 bookshelves, furnishings for our conference/coworking room, or one week of staff compensation.
Rewards
Your name on a leaf on our tree mural, plus everything in Tiers 1-4 in a beautiful tote featuring our custom design by local middle schooler Aubree Howell.
You want to contribute just because you care! Give any amount here.
- $50 covers one seat, $150 covers one table, and $200 buys a seat and a table. (See what we did there?)
- $230 buys one Nugget Comfort play couch for our quiet room
- $300 gives us one of our sinks.
- $500 covers one bookshelf.
- $770 gets us our under-counter ice bin.
- $1,700 buys one grinder or our drip coffee machine.
- $2,500 covers our fridge and $3,600 covers our freezer.
- $5,700 covers our refrigerated display case.
- $10,000 buys our espresso machine.
- $25,000 takes care of all staffing costs for one month.
We'll mail you a waterproof sticker of our campaign art and a personal thank-you note.
Get Tier 1 plus a tissue-wrapped book tied up with string. Tell us if you'd like adult fiction, adult nonfiction, young adult (12-18), or middle grade (8-13).
Along with Tiers 1 & 2, get a campaign art T-shirt in an adult or children's size of your choice.
Get Tiers 1-3, a campaign art mug, and half-off drip coffee or tea from November 1, 2021 to November, 1, 2022, when you have us serve you in your mug!
Your name will be painted on a leaf on our beautiful, large tree mural above the bookstore checkout and conference room. Although the reward image is for concept purposes only, we'll share preview images of the mural as soon as we have them!
Two tickets to our grand opening party OR one exclusive two-hour rental of the bookstore after hours, plus everything in the "You're totes bringing this dream to life" package and your name on a leaf on our tree mural.
Our photographer, who did the I Am Elk Grove campaign, will give you a dedicated one-hour photo shoot at the bookstore for you and up to five people and 50+ Digital images. Your photo shoot will be followed by a half-hour private shopping experience with a $100 shopping budget. Plus, you'll receive a waterproof sticker for everyone in your photo shoot.
Save $100 on a one-year coworking membership! Reserve a 3.5-hour slot at a coworking desk in our conference room up to 15 times per month, get discounts on cafe purchases, and use our printer/scanner. We'll also send you a personal thank-you note with a waterproof sticker.
We will donate 50 books in your name to a school of your choice and give you two tickets to our grand opening party or a two-hour exclusive rental of our space after hours. Plus, you'll get everything in the "You're totes bringing this dream to life" reward package.
Your name on a branch of our tree will commemorate your foundational gift, which will fund either our live-edge center table, 10 bookshelves, furnishings for our conference/coworking room, or one week of staff compensation.