even different countries. and to make it with a focus on latino literature, that was also very intentional. so many of the residents of this community are of mexican and caribbean descent. why not have it in my own neighborhood? a passionate supporter of the arts and culture of east harlem aurora won many awartds for her cultural leadership. when she decided it was time to share her passion with the east harlem community she realized there were many hurdles to overcome before la casa azul could become a reality. many different banks declined my loan for four years in a row. that was very discouraging. it was something that i had been dreaming of for over six years before the store actually opened. at the same time i was receiving support from neighbors and residents, and people even coworkers. the bookstore was crowd funded. it was with the support of over 400 people. 7% of those were complete strangers. whatever it is that you need, we are here to support your vision and your dr
after recently celebrating its three-year anniversary, la casa azul is just getting started. i believe every community needs an independent bookstore. so of course it s a dream of mine to see them hopefully in other cities very soon. this small business is fast becoming a large part of the east harlem community. they have so many big events in the works. and it s such a great example of how a small business can bring people together and have such a positive impact on a neighborhood. and by the way they also have a gallery of artwork underneath in a basement as well that you can visit when you visit the bookstore. we ve got to head uptown to see that. so many people donated to keep it going. that s incredible. the books look amazing as well. they have all kinds of books. i was really excited to be there. what about next week? next week we do have an unexpected twist on the beautiful sounds of mexico. one group of ladies is shaking things up while honoring the traditional
over the years we ve seen increasingly small bookstores bail, close, particularly the latino focused ones in new york city. so the idea that one would be created and coming in to el barrio was a dream come true for us. zblch more than a back store la casa azul students and teachers alike interact with a vision. celebrity readings, family picnics and concerts are just a few of the activities la casa azul has to offer with aurora overseeing it all. and having two daughters you have more of an appreciation and understanding, our daughters come here to read. we ve been introduced to so many wonderful community based programs in the neighborhood. for me working at la casa azul bookstore has been a discovery of my own cultural identity. i would say i didn t know that we existed. i didn t know that latino writers were out there writing for our community.