[Crwt-undergrad-info] UCR MFA Alumni [CW-Grad] Cellar Door Books

[Sarah Helms]

Hi all, I went the route of leaving a negative Google review and then in my
message to Canyon Crest management, elaborated some support for Cellar Door
Books and let them know about said review. I don't think negative comments
reviews are the always the best answer in our world...but felt ok for this,
to me. Here is my review if helpful to anyone who would want to do the
same.

In good conscience, I don't recommend coming to any Arcade location.
Honestly I really wanted to ignore the politics of this business' owners
because they are a local business with nice seating areas and decent
coffee, even when I knew they did not follow mask mandates (that would have
at least protected their most health-vulnerable customers). I was still ok
supporting them and appreciated the space. The reason I'm writing this
review now is that the conservatism of this business / its owners is
infringing on the freedom and operations of the only independent bookstore
in Riverside, Cellar Door Books, which is directly next to Arcade's outdoor
seating area. Cellar Door Books carries a wealth of local authors (which of
course includes queer, Indigenous, and other minority authors in the
community, and events supporting them), loads of children's books, and
classics. So! There are some wonderful other local coffee shops --
Mundial's drip coffee is equally good and their lattes and specialty drinks
are much, much better (!!); Molinos and Lift Roasters are also awesome.
Take your business elsewhere and don't support a place that doesn't
actively support the diversity, and health, of everyone in their community.
We should expect our local businesses to be supportive of us all, and of
other businesses. Riverside is better than this.

On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 11:25 AM Roda Avelar <ravel007 at ucr.edu> wrote:

> Thank you for bringing this to our attention! I've sent a letter to the
> email listed above, it only took a few minutes!
>
> Roda
>
> On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 6:01 AM Tom Lutz <tomlutz at ucr.edu> wrote:
>
>> We would like to enlist the department in helping Riverside's ONLY
>> independent bookstore, Cellar Door Books.  Last night, the owner of Cellar
>> Door, Linda, received an eviction notice that gives her 40 days to leave
>> her current location. The store is profitable and well-run. But Linda has
>> one strike against her: she is vocally and very publicly progressive.
>>
>> For years now, Cellar Door has held Drag Queen Story Hour. When Jammin'
>> Bread closed, a new owner moved in and opened a cafe called Arcade. This
>> place is owned by a very conservative member of a megachurch whose
>> congregation can be seen protesting, yelling, and frowning mightily against
>> Cellar Door's Drag Queen Story Hour, as well as Linda's ongoing masking
>> policy and frequent displays of novels by minoritized groups, Black and
>> Latinx and Queer and Asian and Indigenous and others. Linda has prominent
>> signs in the windows supporting BLM and other progressive causes.
>>
>> Cellar Door has always stocked UCR writers, and our department has held
>> readings there. It is a thriving place where book clubs meet and local
>> children first learn to browse the shelves. We would like as many people as
>> possible to write to the owner of Canyon Crest. Those protesting Cellar
>> Door have written many letters, and I'd like her landlord, the owner of
>> Canyon Crest Towne Center to know there are just as many, and probably
>> more, voices who support Cellar Door.
>>
>> Canyon Crest Management,Inc.
>> Maggie Sarinana
>> maggie at canyoncrestmgmt.com
>> Office: 951-686-1222 Ext 10
>>
>> There is also a contact form here:
>> https://shopcanyoncrest.com/contact-us
>> <https://shopcanyoncrest.com/contact-us>
>>
>> And of course we encourage going to the store and supporting it, too.
>>
>> Thanks, Tom Lutz and Goldberry Long
>> _______________________________________________
>> CWgrad-announcements mailing list
>> CWgrad-announcements at lists.ucr.edu
>> https://lists.ucr.edu/mailman/listinfo/cwgrad-announcements
>>
>
>
> --
> *Roda Avelar*
> MFA Candidate in Poetry, 2023
> UC Riverside
> (she / they)
> www.rodolfoavelar.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Mfa_alumni at lists.ucr.edu
> https://lists.ucr.edu/mailman/listinfo/mfa_alumni
>
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