REACH Literacy bookstore to more than double in size

A local nonprofit bookstore is expanding.

REACH Literacy is adding 3,000 square feet to its bookstore at 2101 W. 41st St., more than doubling its current size, said CEO Paige Carda. The nonprofit has been at that location on the south side of the Western Mall since 2017.

The new space will allow for a conference room that will include a computer lab and room to offer classes. REACH Literacy provides literacy instruction and experiences for adult and youth readers each year through tutoring programs. The secondhand bookstore, REACH a Reader, helps fund programs.

The organization hopes to raise $200,000 for the project.

The new space will allow for expanded programming, Carda said, including pre-certified nursing assistant and pre-medication aide classes.

“These will be a terrific addition to our workplace programs and a great way for adults needing extra help to prepare for classes in CNA and med aide,” Carda said. “We will also offer drop-in help for computer support, job applications and more.”

REACH also offers an Everyday English class and will add an on-site workplace program, allowing for smaller businesses to send a few employees to be part of larger classes to improve their literacy.

The expanded space will open at the end of May.

The bookstore curates and sells donated books in the shop and online to support literacy and raise money for programming

It’s all part of the larger mission to bring literacy to the more than 16,000 people in the area with low to no literacy skills.

“Can you imagine your life without the ability to read or write,” Carda said.

The bookstore opens at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday. It closes at 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 7 p.m. Tuesday; 1 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.

The store is open regular hours throughout the remodel.

This week, REACH Literacy will hold its annual Brewhaha fundraiser event. It’s from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Museum of Visual Materials. Click here for more information.