Hello Dear Sponsors,
Here we are at the end of the year. I don't know about you but, for me, it's gone blindingly fast. Being busy as hell with our new building probably had a fair amount to do with that, along with participating in a local World Science Fiction Convention. But, whatever the reason, the year has blown by and I expect that next year will be much the same.
As I usually do in December, I took a look at the total number of sponsors for this year. There were 634 of you this time around. While that's not a record (see my footnote), it's still quite an accomplishment. And it's plenty more than the minimum 300 that we need to keep plugging along.
Speaking of sponsorships, it's just about time to renew (if that's something you were planning on doing). You can pre-order your 2019 sponsorship on-line now at https://borderlands-books.com/buysponsorship19.html . You're also welcome to pre-order in the store, just stop by anytime. Or you can call us to take care of it. And, finally, you're completely welcome to send a check (IMPORTANT - if you're going to send a check, please date it January 1st, 2019. It's a tax thing.)
Last month I asked a question about whether to ask for donations towards our moving costs, increase the cost of sponsorships, or just stick with our usual system. The response was overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the cost at $100 and once again asking for additional donations. That was nice because that was the plan that I favored, despite my desire to get the other ideas out in front of you. So, that's the plan for 2019 - $100 for a sponsorship and, if you feel motivated to do so, we're happy to accept an additional amount towards our move.
I'm sincerely grateful for your support of Borderlands over the past year. We've done something pretty remarkable: not just keeping the store open in the face of the increased minimum wage but by building a community that is supportive and close-knit enough to allow us to buy a building to be our permanent home. I'm honored by your faith in everyone who makes Borderlands function and your confidence that we'll continue to make the shop and cafe a place that you want to support.
I hope that you'll join us for another year of sponsoring Borderlands but, the world is a complicated place and there are a galaxy of reasons that I can imagine for not renewing this year. If you decide not to renew, please know that you have my everlasting gratitude for having come along with us for part of our trip.
Before I close this note, I want to give very special thanks to all the people who have put their time, sweat, blood and tears into working on our new building. Thankfully, there has been very little of the latter two spilled. Over the last year they've shifted 8 tons of bricks, moved more than that in dirt, hauled and poured concrete, framed walls, and gotten covered with sand, charcoal, dust, dirt, and other, less easy-to-describe substances. They've worked in the rain, the mist, and the burning heat (as an aside, for those of you who don't live in San Francisco, "burning heat" is 80 degrees with 25% humidity -- we are a delicate breed). They've done all that and much, much more. Over that time they've all become my friends and friends to each other. And it has made the whole process so much fun.
So, I want to salute; Alex, Aliza, April, Bill, Canute, Caroline, Claud, Colleen, Dashiell, David and David, Donald, Elizabeth, Eloise, Emily, Frances, Garrett, Jane, Jawon, Jay and Jay, JJ, Jo, Jonathan and Jonathan, Jutta, Kelsey, Liz, Louis, Maddy, Marie, Ramon, Rebecca, Richard, Rosalind, Russ, Scott and Scott, Tex, Turtle, and Z'ev.
There are some people who deserve special mention because they spent more than a dozen days in the past year helping make the new Borderlands a reality. They are: Laura Mazzola, Emily Schaeffer, Josie Schaeffer, and Carl Ueber.
Finally, there are also the proud few lunatics that worked more than 20 days on the new building. In order of their lunacy, they are: Dave La Point, Jim Lively, Melinda Rose, Cassie Beckley, and Zach Harper.
Thank you all for everything you've done over the past year. I have the best job in the world because I get to be part of our community. Here is to a wonderful New Year for us all and to 2019 exceeding all our hopes and expectations!
Warmest Regards,
Alan
Footnote - For you who are wondering, the numbers each year have been; 2015 - 848, 2016 - 681, 2017 - 704, and 2018 - 634. So, we're actually at our lowest point but . . . we're still holding very nicely in the 600-700 range, which is fine by me.
PS - Since you all like construction stories, here's a bit of fun dialogue between me and Tony, the guy who did the concrete pumping for the foundation week before last. Tony's a great guy and he works at construction sites all over the city.
Tony: "Good crew you've got. They really hustle."
Alan: "Yeah, they're pretty great. Wanna guess at their professions?"
Tony: "What?"
Alan (pointing): "Police Officer, Civil Engineer, Software Engineer, Cafe Manager, Sound Engineer, Bookseller . . . "
Tony: "I don't get it."
Alan: "They're all volunteers, man. This isn't their day job."
Tony: "Damn. I know a lot of professional crews who aren't half as good."
Alan: "Yup."
Wispy Version:
(1) Friday, January 18th, 8:00 pm - Movie night and sing-a-long with pizza at Borderlands Cafe.
(2) Saturday, February 16th, 7:00 pm - Sponsor Social, Borderlands Cafe.
(3) Saturday, March 9th - Meet up at FOGCon 9, Walnut Creek Marriott, 2355 North Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(4) Sunday, March 31st, 7:00 pm - Sponsors' General Meeting, Borderlands Cafe.
(5) Friday, April 26th, 8:00 pm - Roller Skating at Church of 8 Wheels, 554 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94117
Rock-Solid Version:
(1) Friday, January 18th, 8:00 pm - Movie night and sing-a-long with pizza at Borderlands Cafe. Need a little escapist fun? Bring your favorite sleeping bag and pillow or camping chair for our first-ever Borderlands movie night. A comedy and a very special sing-a-long will be presented on our larger-than-life movie screen in the cafe. We will be accepting cash from those interested in partaking in pizza.
(2) Saturday, February 16th, 7:00 pm - Sponsor Social, Borderlands Cafe. Food and drink and books; what more does one need?! This will be a potluck as usual, so bring a special dish or a bottle to share!
(3) Saturday, March 9th - Meet up at FOGCon 9, Walnut Creek Marriott, 2355 North Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA 94596. FOGCon is one of the more intimate of the genre-focused conventions, but they always pull off a great weekend of talks and local vendors selling their wares. This year's guests of honor include Karen Joy Fowler and Becky Chambers. More details to come as we confirm them.
(4) Sunday, March 31st, 7:00 pm - Sponsors' General Meeting, Borderlands Cafe. If you've never attended, the General Meeting is sort of like a cross between a share-holders meeting and a big advisory board. Alan will outline where Borderlands and the Sponsor Program stand, and then ask for comments, opinions and ideas. We hope to see as many of you there as possible, because this is where we get guidance on where we should go with the sponsor program, and Alan would love to hear your thoughts. If you can't attend in person, feel free to email with your comments; we'll email a report on the meeting a week or two afterwards.
(5) Friday, April 26th, 8:00 pm - Roller Skating at Church of 8 Wheels, 554 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94117. As you may have guessed, we have LOVED our past two outings to the Church of 8 Wheels. We're back again and we'll be renting the private corner in the rear so we will have a place to congregate and leave our belongings. Housed in the 119-year-old former location of Sacred Heart Church, The Church of 8 Wheels welcomes anyone over the age of 18 to Friday night disco. Admission is $10.00 and skate rentals are an additional $5.00. Personal skates and roller blades are allowed and should weather dictate layering, there is a coat check at the door. There is also a snack bar within the Church. Please feel free to bring as many friends as you would like. http://www.churchof8wheels.com/.
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