I’ve heard it a countless times, starting at our Sneak Peek and continuing through Story Club meetings and our Snow Day Sale:

“How can I support you?”

I haven’t had a good answer — besides “buy some books” — until now. I could have accepted donations or sold something at an incredible markup, but I wanted to wait until I had something that was a really good value — for you and for me. And I finally figured it out (with the help of a new friend, shoutout Matt).

Memberships.

Everyone wants to sell you a subscription. But there’s a reason for that — subscriptions and memberships are great for everyone. They give us some cash up front that we can use to bring this vision to life, and they give you perks that should more than make up for the cost of joining.

The best deal I have right now is the Founding Membership. And it’s such a good deal I probably shouldn’t even be selling it. I’ll only ever sell 75 of these, so grab one while you can.

(Eight people bought one when I announced it to the folks that just so happened to be subscribed to emails. But now the cat’s out of the bag.)

A Founding Membership includes:

• Invitation to an exclusive pre-opening event.
• 10% off most items.
• 15% off Pennington’s merch.
• One free drink per month.
• Ability to sell your used books any time.
• Special offers only for Founding Members.

Here’s the best part: it’s good for two years, for your entire household.

So how much does it cost? Let’s start with how much it should cost.

Let’s say you get a $5 drink for free every month for two years. That’s $120 by itself. Then maybe your family spends about $50 on books per month. That’s another $120 from your discounts. So that’s a $240 value without even mentioning your store merch discount, store credit from used book sales, and special offers.

So that’s got to be worth at least $150… right?

How about $95. That’s it. Two years of top-tier perks for your entire household that’s more than paid for just by the free drinks.

But if $95 is too much, I’ve got something for you, too. Here are all of the current membership tiers:

Like I said — I almost definitely have these priced too low. So grab one now before my accountant tells me I have to raise the prices.

But why should you buy one now? Fair point. The store isn’t even open yet! First of all, your membership won’t be active until you complete your registration in the store — that’s when the clock starts towards expiration. Second, like I’ve said, these are the lowest the prices will ever be. And third, your money will have the most impact right now, when our income is very low.

So that’s it — grab a membership and stay tuned! Our new target opening date is mid-March. Fingers crossed we can get there.

In the mean time, get in touch! What books should I order? How do you want to work together? What do you want to see in this space that would make it special?

Can’t wait to welcome you in.

-Spencer