Announcing Kepler's 2020!

First of all, if you haven't checked out the brand, spanking new website for our transition (called, snazzily, Kepler's 2020), WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Some news about what's next for Kepler's just went out this morning. You can read the full press release here, but it begins with this:

Menlo Park, CA, January 31, 2012 – The Kepler’s Transition Team, a group of local business and community leaders, today announced the launch of “Kepler’s 2020,” an initiative that will transform Menlo Park’s historic independent bookstore into a next-generation community literary and cultural center. The project aims to create an innovative hybrid business model that includes a for-profit, community-owned-and-operated bookstore, and a nonprofit organization that will feature on-stage author interviews, lectures by leading intellectuals, educational workshops and other literary and cultural events.  

By separating the for-profit bookstore from the nonprofit organization, Kepler’s 2020 will allow the bookstore to maximize its profitability while enabling the community to support rich educational and cultural programming through tax-deductible donations and corporate sponsorships. The two organizations, although separate legal entities, will collaborate closely to bring people together around ideas and books to foster intellectual discourse and civic engagement in the community.

The news is already trickling around the web, with stories in Publisher's Weekly, San Jose Business Journal, Publishers Lunch, and MarketWatch (and that's just since 8 AM EST this morning!). But, if you want to get on the ride yourself, make sure to follow the Kepler's 2020 Facebook page and Twitter feed. More exciting news to follow!