As of July 12th, we are now officially operational at our new storefront in West Asheville! Come check out our new location and see how we've grown.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDIE BOOKSTORE CO-OP ANNOUNCES GRAND (RE)OPENING IN WEST ASHEVILLE
Firestorm concludes sixteen month hiatus with expansion, renewal of mission at 610 Haywood Road

July 7th, 2015 – Starting next week, West Asheville residents will have another reason to park the car and walk: a community bookstore. Firestorm Books & Coffee, a seven year old workers co-operative formerly located in downtown Asheville, has announced the grand opening of its new Haywood Road store. The day long celebration – taking place Sunday, July 12th – will feature free coffee, giveaways and readings by local authors at 5pm.

Located directly across State Street from Sunny Point Cafe, the new store will feature a unique selection of books for young folks and adults alike. Curious readers will find not only the rich assortment of titles on gardening, green living and political radicalism, for which Firestorm is already known, but also an expanded inventory of children's books, classics and speculative fiction. The co-operative has plans to host regular author events, book groups and a bilingual story hour for kids.

“Literature is more cheaply and readily available than at any previous point in history” noted Firestorm Collective member Libertie Valance, “but indie bookstores are making an odds-defying comeback nationally because they offer something that's in increasingly scarce supply: a physical hub for social and intellectual encounters.” Formerly a nexus for grassroots activism – including Occupy and the 2012 campaign against a private “business improvement district” – Firestorm will renew its commitment to providing free meeting and event space to community organizations. In March, the co-operative announced that it would be sharing office space at 610 Haywood Road with two nonprofits, the Coalicion de Organizaciones Latino-Americanas (COLA) and the Center for Participatory Change (CPC).

While much attention has been paid to Firestorm's new bookstore, long time patrons will be glad to know that the co-operative hasn't strayed far from its roots as an offbeat cafe. The east wing of the new store will feature a vegan coffee and tea bar where visitors can enjoy an assortment of specialty beverages – including favorites like the Coconut Cream Breve and the spicy Molotov Macchiato – plus finely crafted food items made by local partners Wadadli Dessert Oasis, Eden-Out Meals and Eat More Bakery. Everything offered in the cafe will be free of animal products, with many gluten-free options to choose from. According to Firestorm Collective member Lauren Lockamy, the establishment “will continue to be one of the only places in the country where you can enjoy a fully co-operativized coffee or espresso. From the organic farmer co-ops in Latin America that grew our beans to the worker-owned roaster in New England, workplace democracy is our secret ingredient!”

For more information on Firestorm Books & Coffee see http://firestorm.coop. To schedule an interview with the worker-owners of Firestorm, please contact Lauren Lockamy at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

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