The Beginning

In October 2025, Moonstone & Mist Bookshop opened for business online and in-person as an all-genre pop-up shop. 

At my preview pop-up in a dear friend’s driveway, I had the chance to practice my set up, sell books and bookish merchandise to friends and family, and practice an efficient tear down. After years of living a mini version of my dream as the Scholastic book fair chair at my son’s elementary school, it felt so good to finally be a bookseller in my own pop-up shop!

Community Connections

I’ve been a book lover my whole life and, for as long as I can remember, have loved finding ways to create experiences and connect people. Since October, I’ve been doing just that. I’ve connected with my community through book events like Silent Reading Book Club, book discussions, game nights, and author panels.

I’ve supported local schools and nonprofits through book fairs and multicultural events and also by selling Redondo Union High School’s literary magazine and returning 100% of each sale back to their library as new books.

I’ve collaborated with local businesses like Exquisite Aesthetics, BlendzUP Acai & Coffee Bar, La Terraza, Kaffeine, the Village Garden, Afternoon Tea at the Village, Fair Trade Long Beach Retail Collective, and Buca di Beppo for pop-ups and events, and carried products by local creators like Haus of Mean-ager, Southbay Wishcraft, Lisa the Knotty Crocheter, My Secret Copy, and Sable & Starlight. I’ve felt proud to sell books by local authors, giving several their first opportunities to do book signings and to speak on author panels. 

I delight in seeing my customers and regular event attendees developing real friendships. It makes me smile when I hear customers squeal with delight when they enter my pop-up shop. It warms my heart when authors thank me for carrying their books and giving them the opportunity to share them. It makes me so happy when customers return and ask what they should read next because they trust my recommendations. I feel excited when customers, friends, and local groups and business owners express their support for my vision–they can see what I’m building and want to see it grow.

What's Next

Every day as a bookseller has felt like a dream. I get angry at the end of the day when I have to go to sleep because there is so much more that I want to do! There aren’t enough hours in my day!

Now, thanks to BlendzUP Acai & Coffee Bar making an incredible partnership offer I could not refuse, Moonstone & Mist Bookshop has a home. To make this wonderful space the cozy neighborhood bookshop our community deserves, I’m calling on my community to help bring my vision to life. 

Moonstone & Mist Bookshop will carry a curated collection of new and gently used books of all genres by diverse authors for readers of all genders and all ages who love to escape in the pages of a book. We will cultivate a magical space where literature, community, and curiosity converge. Our goal is to become a beloved cultural hub that nurtures creativity, supports local authors, and fosters meaningful connections through books and events. Moonstone & Mist Bookshop will continue to host book signings, poetry readings, craft activities, book discussions, writing workshops, story time, fundraisers, Silent Book Club, watch parties for book-related shows and movies, book launches, and more! We will continue to collaborate with local businesses, grow in our support of local schools and nonprofits, and find more ways to give local authors the opportunity to shine.

How You Can Help

Supporting new businesses is a risk. The main challenge to a brick-and-mortar shop is online retailers and the rising cost of doing business. Big box stores and big online stores can sell books at a negative profit rate which undermines small independent bookstores. Indie bookstores are required to sell books at the prices listed by publishers. Moonstone & Mist Bookshop is already in the mix, competing with big online stores as a member of two B2B online retailers ( libro.fm and bookshop.org ) equipped to support indie bookstores with a huge selection and competitive pricing. As a pop-up, I have only experienced a trajectory of growth, love, and encouragement. Customers have turned to Moonstone & Mist Bookshop to place orders, and many customers come to my pop-ups consistently to purchase books rather than purchasing them online. Partnering with an amazing established business like BlendzUP will help reduce the cost of operating a brick-and-mortar bookshop.   

There’s also something your local neighborhood bookshop can provide that no online retailer can: the feeling of community, connection through shared interests, and the opportunity for conscious shoppers to support small businesses. Though we cannot compete with big box prices, Moonstone & Mist Bookshop already is the space that creates the feeling of community, hosts events and activities where people can connect, and provides a better alternative for spending your hard-earned dollars. 

Why invest in me?

I am all heart and hard work. 

My love of books started with my parents who are both big readers. In our home, it wasn’t unusual for everyone to spend an entire day reading until our eyes were so tired we’d have to read one eye at a time. I still remember receiving boxes of books from my dad when he would be overseas with the Air Force and spending hours at the library with my mom who would let my sister and me check out the maximum number of books every time we’d visit. 

In elementary school, I learned that books could come to me! The Scholastic Book Fair was quite literally the best week of the entire year. In high school, I had the most incredible English teacher for three of my four years. Dr. Mikulics, with his love of literature and theater, brought every book we read to life.

I earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in African American Studies and treasured the opportunity to experience literary styles and genres I might not ever have explored on my own, deepening my appreciation for all kinds of books. While in college, I also developed skills in planning and marketing small and large-scale events with several leadership roles in my sorority, in the governing body for all the sororities on my campus, and as an elected leader in student government.

When my son was in elementary school, right here in Redondo Beach, I had my first taste of running my own bookstore as his school’s Scholastic Book Fair Chair. It was happening! I was living the dream! It was genuinely the best week of the year for him, me, and so many families. I turned those blank spaces into a winter wonderland for one week every year and I loved it. When I learned his middle school book fair didn’t need parent support, I was crushed. That’s when the idea for opening my own bookstore really started to materialize.

For the last six years, I’ve been a full-time editor. First for iSprowt, a local company producing science kits for kids, then as a technical editing specialist in the aerospace industry, and simultaneously as a freelance editor supporting local non-profit organizations. Editing is something I could do forever if I had to; it pays the bills, but it doesn’t feed my soul. Owning and operating an independent bookshop, creating a hub for community engagement, and continuing to share my love of books has been a dream come true.

I hope that you feel inspired to help support my dream to bring a neighborhood bookshop to Redondo Beach. 

What We Are Requesting

I would be forever grateful if you would help me reach my fundraising goal. Because I'm asking for your support, I'd like to be transparent with my plans. 

Other Ways to Help

Here are a few ways you can support Moonstone & Mist Bookshop beyond this campaign:

1) Please share this with friends, family, and anyone you think would love to see a neighborhood bookshop in Redondo Beach. Please share on social media as well!

2) Follow us on social media and share your excitement with friends! Instagram: @moonstoneandmistbookshop

3) Choose Moonstone & Mist Bookshop as your favorite store on bookshop.org and libro.fm . 

4) Keep an eye on our calendar and come to our events. Shop at Moonstone & Mist Bookshop in person and make new friends at our community events.

5) Sign up for our newsletter ! I promise not to spam you. I send a newsletter every Thursday. That’s where I will share updates on our progress, let you know where we’re popping up and what events we have planned, and provide book recommendations! 

Thank you so much! I am so excited to see you in the shop!