Book lovers rejoice. Burlington Mayor Ian Baltutis and his wife Dr. Kristina Baltutis have purchased Persnickety Books Inc. in Burlington.
The first couple plans to use their newly owned business to give others an opportunity to be gainfully employed. They are going to enter a partnership with Sustainable Alamance and Benevolence Farm with a new mission of providing stable employment for men and women with criminal records to reduce recidivism.
The vision: “Giving books and people a second chance”
Persnickety Books Inc was founded in late 2017 and currently operates in Historic Downtown Burlington. The store has been growing rapidly amid the downtown resurgence that has been taking place in Burlington over the previous few years, a news release states.
A new book processing operation to supply the store will be added nearby and create living wage jobs for men and women with criminal records.
“For years Sustainable Alamance and Benevolence Farm have been helping private sector businesses employ people with criminal records. Merging the Persnickety Books business with this mission is the perfect opportunity to make a major impact on creating meaningful work, sustainable economic progress, and reducing recidivism,” says Mayor Baltutis.
Mayor Baltutis was elected in November of 2015 and sworn into office on December 1, 2015. He is now in his second term. When he was elected at age 30, he became the City of Burlington’s youngest mayor.
His wife, Kristina Baltutis received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from NC State in 2017. She currently practices at Happy Tails Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Greensboro.
Sustainable Alamance, led by Phil Bowers, was founded in 2010 and to-date has helped place more than 75 men and women with criminal histories into full-time employment. Benevolence Farms, led by LaShuana Austria, was founded in 2008 and now operates a residential farm and employment program for women impacted by the criminal justice system of North Carolina
