GREENSBORO, N.C. — School is back in session for thousands of North Carolina students. According to the American Retail Federation, on average families will spend roughly $875 dollars on school supplies this year. A Greensboro bookstore is doing its part to help ease the financial burden.
Sherricka Carpenter Stanley is an author and the owner of Next Chapter Bookstore/Gift Shop. The bookstore is located inside Ben’s Boyz- Premium Comfort Food in the Friendly Center.
Saturday, August 17 the store is hosting a back-to-school event.
“We are bringing in New York Times Bestselling Author Derrick Barnes,” Carpenter Stanley said. “You may not have heard of who he is, but I promise if your child is ten or younger, they have read his book The King of Kindergarten or The Queen of Kindergarten.”
The bookstore’s goal is to fill 200 bags filled with back-to-school supplies. Thirty free haircuts will be given to young men along with a copy of Barnes’ book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut.
Carpenter Stanley said Barnes will sign and give away a variety of his books at the event.
“When I called Derrick and asked him when he’s doing his next book if he could come to Next Chapter, he said of course,” Carpenter Stanley said. “The first thing he said to me was, let’s make it a back-to-school event.”
Next Chapter Bookstore/Giftshop is collecting school supply items through August 15th. Supplies can be dropped off at the bookstore.
Items needed include pencils, pens, paper, binders, highlighters, crayons, markers, glue, tape, notebooks, rulers, erasers, sharpies, scissors, hand sanitizer, tissues, and whiteboard markers.
“I am a former educator, so I know how much educators come out of their own pockets to pay for school supplies as well as parents,” Carpenter Stanley said. “We wanted to make it a big back-to-school event so the kids can come and meet an actual author, of books that they’ve read. We wanted to make it where the whole community could get involved.”
The back-to-school event with New York Times Bestselling Author Derrick Barnes is Saturday, August 17 at 1 p.m. at Next Chapter Bookstore & Gift Shop.
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