Bookstore Set to Open By JAMES FANELLI "Read, Read, Read! Don't sit in front of the TV set or computer screen. We want you to get a book and read." Those are the emphatic words of Bob Altman, associate director of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) and a member of the planning committee setting up Twice Told Tales, a used bookstore that will soon be open for business at 3085 Bainbridge Ave., at the corner of East 204th Street. The bookstore, which is scheduled to open Nov. 30, will be administered by the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, a non-profit organization. MMCC recently moved its Educational Counseling Center from the bookstore site to large offices on East 206th Street. So it had the space and wasted no time filling it with hundreds of books that have already been donated by community residents. Shelving was donated by JPMorganChase. The bookstore will be operated as part of the Center's Youth Employment Program, a school- based initiative that works with 250 students and trains them for jobs. At the bookstore, students will work with volunteer staff and learn about the different aspects of running a business. "The students will learn from A to Z how to do advertising, public relations, outreach and register work," Altman said. The idea of opening a bookstore in Norwood has been around for almost nine years. Norwood resident Sally Dunford, another planning committee member, recalls one powwow where she and other community leaders discussed what the neighborhood needed. Don Bluestone, the executive director of MMCC, noted the paucity of bookstores in the Bronx and suggested opening one in Norwood. When the storefront space became available, Bluestone knew the time to realize the community's bookstore dream had come. During the last couple of weeks, committee members Bob Altman, Jane Chaney, Sally Dunford, Dart Westphal and others have been preparing for the opening. The store, which received all of its books through donations, is now, for the time being, fully shelved. "People have been extremely generous, but we are still accepting books," Dunford said. Book donations can be made at the store or at the Center, located at 3450 DeKalb Ave., corner of Gun Hill Road. All those involved agreed that Twice Told Tales (named for a collection of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, who once lived in the Bronx) will meet a need that is sorely lacking. Currently, there are only three general interest bookstores in the Bronx. "People have to go to Yonkers or Co-op City. It's terrible," Altman said. "This store will make buying a book easier and more affordable." The planning committee also has big ideas in store for the future. They hope to turn the store into a co-op, where people can become members and receive discounts for donating books or volunteering time. They also hope to have readings for children on Saturdays since the library is now closed that day. Ed. note: For more information on Twice Told Tales, call Bob Altman at 882-4000.
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