Niwot community rallies around vandalized bookstore
Dec. 23—An act of destruction turned into an outpouring of community support after a business in Niwot was vandalized earlier this month.
Thanks to a GoFundMe campaign, Inkberry Books will be able to replace its damaged window without requiring co-owner Gene Hayworth to empty his pockets. The bookstore in Cottonwood Square has been a feature of the town since it was opened in 2018 by Hayworth and his partner, Keith Waters.
"Many of the customers consider it a community hub," Hayworth said. "We have author readings, we feature a new artist in the bookstore every month, and we have music sometimes outside the store."
The morning of Dec. 3, Hayworth received an email from a fellow business owner alerting him that a rock had been thrown through the storefront window. He said he was heartbroken when he arrived and found broken glass strewn underneath a gaping hole.
"Honestly, at first I thought it was a joke," he said, recalling his initial reaction to the news. "It just didn't seem like the kind of thing that would happen here."
The hole was covered first with plastic, then with plywood, and finally with plexiglass. The store stayed open the whole time, but Hayworth said the plywood — which was up for a week — was a big deterrent for customers.
"Everyone thought we were closed, so we didn't really do any business at all," he said.
Hayworth launched the GoFundMe campaign on Dec. 8 after learning that, since he doesn't own the building, his insurance wouldn't cover the window's replacement. In its first day alone, the fundraiser brought in over $500. As of Thursday, there have been 25 donations totaling $1,725 — surpassing the campaign's $1,500 goal.
"I wasn't really expecting this to be successful, so when it started growing so quickly, it amazed me," Hayworth said. "It showed me how much the community really values our being here."
One contributor who donated $200 left a comment on the campaign site saying she looks forward to Inkberry Books' next window display. Another comment read, "I love books and (the) owner of this particular book store!"
"(The support) reinforced the fact that this was just some random act of vandalism," Hayworth said. "You always think when something like this happens that it's pointed directly at you, but the care and kindness that people have shown us really convinced me that was not the case."
Jim Mitchell, who helps run the store on Wednesdays during the busy holiday season, said he was astounded and disappointed to hear about the vandalization but happy to see the fundraiser's success.
"It shows the Niwot community bands together when someone suffers some kind of loss," he said.
Hayworth said the extra money will help offset his purchase of the plexiglass and the increased cost of heating the store this month. The new window is expected to arrive Jan. 19.
