I am a very strong advocate for small business owners, and those trying to forge their own paths in life. It takes immense courage and bravery to decide to start your own business. You don’t know the next time you will get any income, and will probably have to watch your spending closely for some time. In this edition, I will be featuring a soon-to-be bookstore that will be local to Toledo Ohio. I consider Toledo the underdog city in Ohio, that is often overlooked in comparison to the other major cities. Within Toledo, there’s a vibrant art scene and resilient entrepreneurs just trying to make ends meet. I spoke with Colleen “Co” Yappueying, who originally reached out to me about her art business and where it was currently at. Originally selling unique, beautiful, and 100% hand-made home goods, Colleen envisions a new literary venture: a mobile bookstore. This new Toledo area bookstore would not only stock new and used books, but also a line of hand-crafted goods, limited edition paintings and other functional pieces.
With such an interesting selection of goods, and a huge quantity of books, my attention was captured and I see the potential. In Colleen’s words, “Originally I started my work as an executive level professional in the arts but felt unfulfilled in those roles—my reach could go only as far as my organization’s missions allowed. So I took a step back and concentrated on what I really wanted to be devoting my time to. I think many of us have shifted our way of thinking about work—it should be fulfilling, since we spend so much of our adult lives doing it! Co.Curated has gone through many evolutions since starting in 2014. It’s been a lifestyle blog, then more recently a handmade business where I specialized in hand-crafted sculpture and jewelry as a way to get back in touch with myself as an artist. But, something always felt like it was missing for me and the community I’ve built through social media.” To begin pursuing any entrepreneurial dream, one requires money, and a stable mind. Since life enjoys throwing curve balls at you when you least expect it, Colleen has started a GoFundMe page to begin seeking funding support for her mobile bookstore idea.
The name for this new venture is “Co-Curated,” and Colleen has bigger plans in store for this mobile bookstore than just selling new and used books. With a lofty goal set for at least $20k Colleen has her work cut out for her. This is where The Scribe comes in to present this opportunity to our readers, and direct them on how to help. While the fundraiser specifies $20k as the goal, Colleen tells The Scribe that this amount of twenty thousand is only there to cover everything and more, but not necessary to start the bookstore. Colleen is also available on social media, and has recently begun rebranding her Co-Curated pages in preparation for this new era. To follow along and receive updates for this fundraiser and learn more about Colleen’s vision, search for @co.curated on Instagram and also @co.curated.design on Facebook.