IWOSC Westside Satellite Host Robin Quinn always loved the well-windowed corner commercial space at Duquesne Avenue and Culver Boulevard in downtown Culver City, CA. One day in January 2021 she discovered it had been transformed into a bookstore called Village Well Books & Coffee. Ms. Quinn wanted to meet and greet the owner, and knew other members of the Independent Writers of Southern California would want to do the same.

"What a treat to have a beautiful new, general-interest bookstore within walking distance," says Ms. Quinn.

Plans to open the store last year were quashed due to the pandemic. As an alternative, Owner and Founder Jennifer Caspar launched its ecommerce site last June. The official opening date for the actual physical space was December 31, 2020.

"I have dreamed about opening this business for a long time," says Ms. Caspar. "I want the Village Well to be a place that will facilitate conversations. We need environments where we can come together to listen to each other openly and let our perspectives be challenged and broadened."

The store is highlighting a different social issue each month. Currently, in April, the issue is how the coronavirus exposes economic injustice.

For the April meeting of the IWOSC Westside Satellite, host Robin Quinn will interview bookstore owner Jennifer Caspar. At the end of the discussion, a small number of attendees will be selected to pitch Ms. Caspar their idea for an author event at Village Well. Ms. Caspar will also explain how others can send her their ideas.

Topics covered will include:

o The history of the store and how it came to be

o What it means to Ms. Caspar to be community-minded

o How she incorporates social issues into her business model

o Why she wanted to be a bookstore owner

o Her favorite corners of the bookstore

o How authors should contact her to have their books stocked at the store

o Why she decided to incorporate a coffee bar into the space

o The types of author events she is looking for

o Types of other group meetings she is open to considering

o Previous events the store has already offered

Date, Time & Cost

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Free to members

$10 for nonmembers

To register for this event, go to: (registration closes at noon on Tuesday, April 20)

https://iwosc.org/los-angeles-westside-writers-group/

"I so appreciate someone who is devoted to both books and social causes," says Ms. Quinn. "Let's give this bookstore all the support we can."

Learn more about Village Well Books & Coffee at https://villagewell.com/

Jennifer Caspar is Founder and Owner of Village Well Books & Coffee. Prior to building Village Well, she spent her career in community finance and development, with a particular focus on permanent supportive housing for people moving out of homelessness. Since moving from Washington DC to Los Angeles in 1997, she has worked for a variety of nonprofit organizations, including Enterprise Community Partners, East LA Community Corp. and A Community of Friends. Ms. Caspar holds a bachelor's degree in English from Georgetown University and a Master's in Urban Planning from George Washington University. She is also the Founder of Eric's Kids, a scholarship program dedicated to her late husband's memory, whose mission is to support students who have experienced the death of a parent. 

Robin Quinn is an award-winning Book Editor specializing in self-help and memoir. She has been the host of the IWOSC Westside Satellite since June 2019. Her recent book projects include A Woman's Guide to Conscious Love by Ann O'Brien and the memoir Bliss + Blues = Bipolar by Jason Park PhD. Ms. Quinn provides manuscript evaluations, book coaching, line editing, copyediting, and PR copywriting. She won an Irwin Award for the Best Press Kit for 2021.