west valley
Volume 34 Issue 02 Goodyear, AZ
October 12, 2022
New independent bookshop opens in Avondale BY KAILA MELLOS
West Valley View Staff Writer
C
IN THE BIZ
harity Harrington and Amy Miller, former English teachers from Odyssey Institute in Buckeye, were looking to start a new chapter in their lives. So, they opened Immortal Trees Bookshop in Avondale. “We just let go of our teacher contracts last spring, and we finished the year,” Harrington said. “Before that, we had been joking about buying an old school bus and turning it into a mobile library or a mobile bookstore because we don’t have any independent bookstores around here. “But then I texted Amy one Sunday morning and said, ‘Hey, you know how we have been pushing around that silly idea of doing a bookstore? Do you want to open a real brick-and-mortar bookstore?’ And the text came back with ‘Yes.’” Harrington and Miller noticed that finding good secondhand books anywhere in the Valley, besides libraries, was tough. So they wanted to start a place where anyone could buy secondhand books from various genres and authors. “We have a natural love for all things books, and there’s just a need for a bookstore in the area,” Miller said. “The community we live in, Buckeye, and the whole surrounding area, there’s just nothing.” “We do have the public library. But a book to keep that’s yours, that you Public Notices ............... page 3 © Copyright, 2022 West Valley View, Inc.
could own, there isn’t anything out here,” Harrington added. On top of that, when browsing for secondhand books, there is no consideration for kids authors and genres. Most secondhand books found at Goodwill or other stores are geared toward adults. “There isn’t anything for the kids, who were a big inspiration in the bookstore idea. Some place for kids to go that is safe, fun, and that encourages learning and curiosity,” Miller said. Since they have had many years of students with incredible talents, the two former teachers hope to showcase some of that. “We have so many art students who are crazily talented in high school, and it would be wonderful for them to be able to create things they’re super proud of,” Harrington said. “We hope to put them on display so people can purchase them, which makes a little bit of money for that artist who has to pay for their art supplies or maybe help them pay for a class when they go to college.” Along with art they hope to display and sell eventually, they are looking for other items to sell along with their books that will average from around $3 to $5. “We have a few friends of ours that handmake things. One of our teacher friends makes these cool lotion bars, which she puts in tins,” Harrington said. “My mom is a part of the Las Noch(USPS 004-616) is published weekly
Mailing Address: 250 Litchfield Rd., #100 Goodyear, AZ 85338 (623) 535-VIEW • 535-8439
Steven Strickbine, publisher Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Executive Editor
es Woman’s Club, which is a club in the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and they are giving us things to sell here like coat bags and jewelry that we are donating the money we make back to their club, and they’re going to spend that on education. My dad has also made tons of jewelry we will sell. But we’d love to do consignment for people who make quality products and support any of our former students who create.” The two will also sell coffee and tea to patrons who just want to come in and browse for a new read. Eventually, Immortal Tree Bookshop will offer classes and events. “Some of our past students were artists, and we’ve been talking with them about coming and doing a computer comic book or a graphic novel class for young teens. We will also do scrapbook classes and an ornament kit,” Harrington said. “We are open to any community activities on a small scale. We are thinking of parties of 10 to 15 for each one of our classes or our events. We want to invite poets and authors to come and read and do signings and maybe even creative writing workshops. We have so many ideas to come.” Immortal Tree Bookshop will hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 13. The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more info, visit immortaltrees. com or @immortaltreesbookshop on Instagram. Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.
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