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

[Amy Hough]

Message sent. Fingers crossed we can turn this around!

On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 11:19 AM Goldberry Long <goldberry.long at ucr.edu>
wrote:

> Thank you Sarah! As I said elsewhere, I can't confirm that it is
> definitely Arcade behind the eviction.  I do know that they asked the
> center's security to make Linda stop holding Drag Queen Story Hour
> (although they won't admit it) and they have been openly hostile to
> progressive causes (including an "Impeach Newsom" sign in their window and
> one owner retweeting the "Planned Parenthood sells baby parts" canard), but
> I cannot definitively link the owners to the eviction.  Please keep this in
> mind when protesting.
>
> The landlord is the definitive cause of the eviction, and can easily be
> contacted via the information below.  It may well serve our goal of
> standing up for Cellar Door to focus on the landlord.
>
> GB
>
> On Thu, Jan 19, 2023 at 10:44 AM Sarah Helms <shelm007 at ucr.edu> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Mfa_alumni mailing list
>>> Mfa_alumni at lists.ucr.edu
>>> https://lists.ucr.edu/mailman/listinfo/mfa_alumni
>>>
>>
>
> --
> Goldberry Long, MA, MFA
> Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Creative Writing
> Distinguished Teaching Professor
> she/her what's this?
> <https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/gender-pronouns-in-workplace>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mfa_alumni mailing list
> Mfa_alumni at lists.ucr.edu
> https://lists.ucr.edu/mailman/listinfo/mfa_alumni
>
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