The new Rooster’s Perch Coffee & Book Company at 210 Bradford St. N.E. in downtown Gainesville will provide local readers with a place to purchase gently used titles while helping local adults with disabilities gain valuable job training.
Rooster’s Perch is the latest project of D’ete Sewell, who works for Randy & Friends, a local non-profit that specializes in “creating significant future for adults with disabilities.” D’ete is doing what she knows best; her first bookstore, Ralph Waldo’s was a popular used bookstore on the Gainesville square from 2001-2007, and she also created Next Chapter Books, a small used bookshop on the square.
“Despite the growth of all kinds of electronic media, people still value physical books.” D’ete explains. “It just feels good to turn the pages of a great story or pull from a shelf of titles about a favorite period in history, and used books have the additional attraction of having a history of their own, having come from the hands of someone who valued what you like.”
Stocked completely with donations from a giving community, D’ete points out that the store will only carry books in great condition, and that a hallmark of her stores is the great selection that is hyper-organized.
“We are always in need of donations, but especially now as we get ready to expand ” she said. “Donations are tax-deductible, and we will be happy to come pick them up.”
D’ete fell into the idea of training adults with disabilities when she met Mike Reno, then a 25-year-old man who had suffered traumatic brain injury in an accident as a teenager. Mike went to work at Ralph Waldo’s, and the idea grew from there.
Rooster’ Perch will train local people in customer service and online research, as the staff look up all books to determine value. The more valuable books get listed online with Amazon, which teaches computer skills as well as the steps to process and mail book orders.
Randy & Friends has a successful partnership with Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, which provides funding for their job training. Once training is complete, the young man or woman become part of the paid work force in our community.
Rooster’s Perch opened several years ago as a coffee and gift shop by Randy & Friends founders Marty and Randy Owens, so D’ete is repurposing the space to provide more training opportunities, and attract more local traffic. Since coffee and books seem to go together, Phoenix Roasters now provides our coffee blends while the monies go to help their mission to serve the broken and hurting in our community.
It helps that the location on the corner of Bradford and Academy Streets, has a parking lot. The Rooster’s Perch is also a pick-up location for Amanda’s Farm to Fork, a wonderful home cooked meal service that eases the “what’s for dinner?” pressure for many busy people.
Our guest of honor will be 5 –year-old Daliyah Arana, who was featured on the ‘Steve Harvey” show celebrating the fact she has read over 1300 books.
“We’d like to be so successful that we take over the whole block,” Sewell intones. “There are interesting, quirky bookshops all over the country that provide favorite hang-outs for locals and memorable stops for tourists.”
To make a tax-deductible donation of books for the launch of Rooster’s Perch Coffee & Book Company, call 678-656-6965 to schedule a pick-up, or stop by the store (210 Bradford St. NE) during their 8am-5pm Monday-Friday or 10am-5pm on Saturday.
