Happy February beloved friends, and welcome back to the SG Newsletter! After a much needed holiday break we are back in full swing, with a fresh print collection, several community events, new merchandise, and even a special Valentine’s Day deal for all you book lovers. We are also continuing to roll out our new and improved look for the store. Let’s dive in!

Note: if your device doesn’t let you see the photos, please click “Read Online” in the upper right hand corner of the email!

As much as we love people, a book will never break your heart (unless you’ve read Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin—that’ll do it). This Valentine’s Day, Stomping Grounds is all about the book lovers, so grab your readers and a nice hot cup of tea and get ready to READ!

We are also officially launching our new print line, “The Art of Reading,” featuring paintings of readers throughout history. It is so wonderful to see the magic of reading celebrated through art. These gorgeous prints look amazing in our store but would look even better in your home, so be sure to check them out (and maybe select some cute custom framing!)

To help you prepare for Valentine’s Day, we’ve stocked up on the cutest new gifts!

We have been catching up on post-holiday framing in the luxury of our new framing space, and enjoying every minute! I’ve always thought it must feel like a spa day for the artwork to finally relax into its new beautiful frame, like finally moving into a dream home. Or maybe that’s just me craving a spa day…

Here are just a few of the recent frame jobs we’ve completed:

On February 7th from 11am to 3pm, we are participating in the downtown Geneva Art Walk, as part of BID’s Winterfest! Spend the afternoon walking around downtown Geneva and enjoy artist pop-ups, craft workshops, and homemade goods. Come see us in Stomping Grounds to enjoy our pop-up! For more information on Winterfest and the Art Walk, click here.

In other news, I (mysterious newsletter author Barrow) am currently studying abroad in the Netherlands until June, but I would NEVER abandon our loyal newsletter fans. For now, I wanted to give you a glimpse at my first week in the lovely city of Maastricht:

Imogen, Obviously is a young adult romance novel written by New York Times Bestselling author, Becky Albertalli. The story's main character, Imogen Scott, hails from Penn Yan, NY. The plot of the story unfolds at "Blackwell College" in Geneva. As Imogen spends time with a new friend at Blackwell, she begins to question past assumptions about her own sexuality. A warm and funny love story unfolds.

I didn't know of Becky and her work until the day a sharp-eyed employee pointed out that a celebrity author was shopping in the store. As we chatted, Becky's kind and generous spirit sparkled. When she told me about the local connections in Imogen, Obviously it became, ahem, obvious that Stomping Grounds needed to stock it. Becky created custom stickers that show the book's main characters visiting Stomping Grounds. These stickers, each hand signed by Becky, are free with your SG purchase of Imogen, Obviously. We have just a few stickers left, so don't wait.

Books like this are essential for building a more compassionate and inclusive world, which is why we have chosen it for February's book review. Be warned, however: this book contains a good dose of profanity, which, along with its queer friendly themes, have landed it on banned and challenged lists across the country.

-Beth

You are all humbly invited to be Stomping Grounds’s valentine this Valentine’s Day. We love you!

See you next month.