Hi Everybody,
This note is going to be a little on the short side because, oh my, do I have a lot of work to do at the new building -- more about that in the next store newsletter in a few days. So, I'll just jump right into it.
First, March 31st was our deadline to make our goal of 300 sponsors. Since you haven't heard any gnashing of teeth and wailing, I think you can guess that we made it. As of today we have 536 sponsors for 2018 -- you're going to be stuck with us for at least another year! Thank you to everyone who renewed at this point, and a big welcome to the 70 people so far who joined us for the first time this year. If you're interested, the sponsor numbers are up to 1169. Since those numbers are never re-used, that also happens to be the total number of people who have ever been sponsors. More than eleven hundred people over four years. That's quite an accomplishment.
Beyond the support that our sponsors have given us by renewing and joining, they have also made additional contributions of over $12,000 to help with our relocation costs.
Speaking of renewing sponsorship, if you haven't renewed, it's not too late at all. Just because we passed the deadline doesn't mean you can't renew now. You can do so in person by stopping by the store, you can give us a call and/or you can renew online at https://borderlands-books.com/buysponsorship18.html If you haven't renewed your sponsorship, this will be the last sponsor note you'll be receiving.
However, it's not the last thing you'll hear from me. After some consideration, for the first time I'm going to send out a single reminder email to everyone who was a sponsor in 2017 and has not yet renewed. People have suggested that I do this several times over the past four years, but I've always decided against it because I really don't want to pester people. I'm truly and profoundly grateful to everyone who has been a sponsor, even if for only one year. If someone chose not to renew, I really didn't want my last demonstration of that gratitude to be something along the lines of, "Thank you so much. Are you positive you don't want to do it again?".
This year, we're embarking on a completely new stage of Borderlands' existence as we build our forever-home and move from our location of 17 years. It's a very expensive undertaking and there are sure to be surprises along the way. I think we can manage it with the resources we have but -- every little bit helps. And so, I'm going to remind people that they might want to renew. If you've not renewed and don't want to, please just delete my note and carry on . . . with my thanks and warmest regards.
On March 31st we held our third General Meeting for sponsors. There was a ton of information conveyed and much was discussed. Thanks to the patient efforts of Salem Evans, who has been our secretary at each of these meetings, there are extensive notes, which I'll be posting at the Sponsors' Blog in a week or so. You can keep an eye out there or wait 'til next month's note, when I'll give you the link.
There was one idea that we floated at the meeting that I wanted to tell you about right now. We're going to have a shelf or two at the front of the shop dedicated to book recommendations from our Sponsors. It'll be included in the Staff Recommendations section. This idea was met with resounding approval, so we're going to start immediately. If you have a favorite title you would like to see included in this rotating section, please forward the title, author and a brief description of what you think makes this book outstanding. We're mostly going to focus on titles within our genres but, we're willing to consider genre-adjacent books as well (but, please let us know why it would fit on our shelves). All recommendations can be sent by replying to this email or directly emailing Scott at scox@borderlands-books.com.
Final item -- we still have some embroidered sponsors' anniversary hoodies. If you asked us to order you one, please call, email or stop by to pick it up. And, if you didn't order one, we can still probably take care of you because we ordered some extras; just let us know your size.
All Best,
Alan
The Shetland pony version:
(1) Saturday, April 21st at 5:30 pm - Alcatraz Nighttime Tour. Currently at capacity.
(2) Tuesday, April 24th at 6:00/7:00 pm - Sponsor Cocktails and Visit Borderlands West. Join us at the bookstore-to-be (1377 Haight St. at Masonic) for show-and-tell at 6:00 pm, and then join us for cocktails at HQ Bar and Restaurant at 1568 Haight Street from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.
(3) Thursday, April 26th at 7:00 pm - Sponsor Preview of "Avengers: Infinity War" courtesy of SF in SF at the Balboa Theatre (3630 Balboa St.)! (Deadline to buy tickets is April 22nd.)
(4) Saturday, May 12th at 7:00 pm - Mark your calendars for our next Sponsor Social.
(5) Friday, June 8th from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm - Bowling at Presidio Bowl, 93 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco, 94129.
(6) Saturday, July 14th - Mark your calendars for our summer Sponsor Social.
(7) Thursday, August 16th - Sponsor Party at WorldCon 76 in San Jose; exact location and time to be determined.
The Clydesdale horse version:
(1) Saturday, April 21st, 5:30 p.m. - Alcatraz Night Tour. Unfortunately, we have passed the deadline for buying group tickets, but there are many more fun adventures to share in the coming year. The tour of Alcatraz Island at night is supposed to be much cooler than the usual daytime one. For those joining us; we are awaiting our actual departure time from the Park Service, but you will receive more info in the very near future. We can expect to leave sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 pm from Fisherman's Wharf. From the Alcatraz website: "Enjoy a tour of Alcatraz Island after dark on one of our Alcatraz night tours from San Francisco. The Alcatraz night tour is a unique program limited to just a few hundred visitors per evening. It includes special programs, tours, and activities not offered during the day. This tour includes: roundtrip ferry transportation, a live boat narration, a guided tour from Dock to Cellhouse, the Cellhouse Audio Tour, a keepsake souvenir brochure, recreation use fee, and a variety of special programs and presentations offered only at night."
(2) Tuesday, April 24th at 6:00/7:00 pm - Sponsor Cocktails and Visit Borderlands West. We thought it would be nice to give you chance to see our new building and so, for the next few months, we'll be having drinks on Haight St. Join us at the store-to-be (1377 Haight Street at Masonic) for show-and-tell at 6:00 pm, then join us for cocktails at HQ Bar and Restaurant (formerly Martin Mack's, at 1568 Haight Street) from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.
(3) Thursday, April 26th, doors open at 6:00 pm, movie starts promptly at 7:00 pm - Sponsor Preview of "Avengers: Infinity War" courtesy of SF in SF at the Balboa Theatre! Located at 3630 Balboa St. in San Francisco, this little gem of a neighborhood theatre is well worth the trip (especially if you like popcorn and beer)! If you'd like to attend, PayPal $9 per ticket to Rina Weisman at sfinsfevents@gmail.com, and please choose "friends/family" option to avoid service fees. Limit of 6 tickets per sponsor. Email Rina, also at sfinsfevents@gmail.com, with any questions. The deadline to buy tickets is noon on April 22nd, so act quickly.
(4) Saturday, May 12th at 7:00 pm - Mark your calendars for our next Sponsor Social. Please join us for food and libations, and I'll regale you with the latest and greatest of store construction stories. We will also be debuting the Sponsor Recommends shelf, so if you've not sent in your favorite book titles to Scott, please do.
(5) Friday, June 8th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm - Bowling at Presidio Bowl in San Francisco. Please RSVP with payment by April 30th. We will have two lanes (or more depending on RSVPs) for a total of two hours. Total cost is $33.00 per person (which includes shoe rental and unlimited bowling), but if we max out our reservation, that price might go down. From their website: "the Presidio Bowling Center offers a convenient walk up bar and grill serving all of your favorites. With over 50 beers, 19 wines by the glass and a full bar, you're sure to find something you love." Located at 93 Moraga, San Francisco, 94129, there is ample parking at the facility and there are also multiple bus lines that service the Presidio. For more information, feel free to check out their website: https://presidiobowl.com/
(6) Saturday, July 14th - Mark your calendars for our summer Sponsor Social.
(7) Thursday, August 16th - Sponsor Party at WorldCon 76. We are in the process of locating a nice, quiet, off-site bar-and-grill type establishment to kick off our weekend at WorldCon in San Jose. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to forward to Scott at scox@borderlands-books.com. (If you are interested in attending WorldCon 76 itself, you may purchase your membership here: https://www.worldcon76.org/membership/how-to-register)
Teaser Alert: coming down the pipeline, many more exciting events in and around our fair store . . . including a new location for our Fall picnic/BBQ and a chance to travel back in time to Victorian London at the Dickens Fair, with details to come.
