We envision a shop in Philadelphia (perhaps in University City or towards Society Hill) that promotes and encourages local art and artists.

Backwords will be an independently owned and operated coffee shop and book store and so much more. We will specialize in preowned books of all genres with a large emphasis on literature, art, philosophy and politics. The environment will be relaxed and welcoming allowing customers to just hang out, drink some coffee, do some reading or studying or
just relax with like-minded individuals.

We hope to put the emphasis on community and support local writers and artists by making their work available for sale. We hope to offer a nice selection of affordable prints from local artists as well as independantly published books and music of all genres.

Our Idea
While we wholely believe in capitalism, we also believe the steady decline of small business will continue if we as a whole do not act now. Backwords will prove that a decent cup of coffee can be brewed and sold at an honest and modest price. Popular coffee-shop chains not only destroy the quirky and original shops, they also gauge their customers with over 500% profit
margins on every cup of coffee.

Why dish out $15 for a paperback book that cost less than a dollar to print and pays the author just a dollar or two? Where is all the money going? Through book recycling programs we can provide cheap and affordable pre-owned books.

Our line of reasoning is that couple bucks you'd spend on a cup of coffee or two (which will be free at the store for several weeks as a thank you once we are established) could be used to help build an idea. If everyone in Philadelphia that likes the idea for the store and wants to help promote local small business would donate just a few dollars, the store could be created.

This is a wonderful experiment in the power of the consumer on today's market. Can an idea be created out of pure demand and not corporate interest? Can a little bit from a lot of people make a dream come true? Is it worth donating a couple bucks on Paypal for a few weeks of free coffee? Is it worth donating a couple bucks so you can find used books and CDs without having to pay the shipping costs associated with e-bay or other retailers? If so, help us out!