Roundabout Books & Café is proud to announce that it is celebrating its 10th Anniversary on October 31. Roundabout Books was opened 10 years ago by Cassie Clemans, who had a vision of enhancing the life of our community by providing a warm and comfortable literary space where people of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to read, browse, shop for books, meet a friend or enjoy an event.
In the 10 years since Clemans first opened her doors, the bookstore has grown and accomplished much. “I could never have imagined that our Central Oregon community would embrace a local bookstore as greatly as it has. We are thrilled to meet and help customers in the store and online every single day to find the perfect book.” She added, “It’s a bonus to bring world-renowned and local authors to talk about their books with our readers, to encourage literacy through our school programs and book clubs, and to watch Bend’s support of small businesses flourish. I am grateful every day for the opportunity to provide these services to my neighbors and to be a popular third-place for kids and adults alike to hang out, reading, relaxing and connecting with each other.”
Since opening on October 31, 2016:
- Roundabout Books has expanded twice, to make room for more books, more event space and more customer seating, demonstrating a growing desire in Bend for a wide selection of books, as well as a comfortable place for meeting with friends and family, while sipping a latte and enjoying a fresh pastry from our bakery partners in Central Oregon.
- Roundabout Books has hosted more than 600 author events, bringing award-winning authors to Bend for the first time, including, most recently, a sold-out Tower Theatre event for author Ann Patchett, this year’s winner of the Library of Congress’s Prize for Fiction.
- More than 3,000 people have attended RAB’s monthly book club meetings in the past ten years, across a wide range of book genres, including Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery, New Fiction, Rediscovered Fiction, Nonfiction, Classics, and a special book club just for middle schoolers.
- Roundabout Books has hosted twice monthly storytimes for toddlers and preschoolers for over five years, where families enjoy reading, singing, dancing and general silliness together.
- Roundabout Books has won The Source’s Best of Bend “Best Bookstore” category for the past three years, since the “Best Bookstore” category was first added, thanks to our customers who value and support the store.
Clemans also believes that being a part of the Central Oregon small business community means giving back. The store hosts annual educator nights, Book Fairs where schools earn a percentage of revenue to support their literacy programs, an annual Head Start book drive in partnership with Selco Credit Union and NeighborImpact, and donates hundreds of books each year to local nonprofits to support literacy in Central Oregon.
To thank loyal customers and the community for making this possible through their patronage and support, Roundabout Books will be offering a number of fun, educational and celebratory offerings throughout October.
- Customers who attend one of our ten events throughout the month of October will be entered to win in our Halloween raffle. The full event schedule can be found here.
- To celebrate ten years of book clubs in the store, we’ll be offering wine and snacks for all our October book club meetings, and again, attendees will be entered into our Halloween raffle. Book Club details can be found in the Book Club drop down menu at roundaboutbookshop.com.
- On October 31, we’ll be offering a 10% discount on all purchases throughout the day.
- For the first time, we’ll be offering a new Café Punch Card. Pick one up anytime in October, and after nine drinks purchased in our cafe, your 10th drink is free. (Expires 12-31-26)
In an age where reading is declining, book banning is on the rise, and school budgets are under pressure, while online and big-box bookstores have dominated the landscape, it’s a testament to the local character of Central Oregon that our community understands the importance of supporting local businesses and providing unfettered access to books. Roundabout Books champions diverse and debut authors, contributes to the local economy and puts books in local readers hands.
This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.
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