Plans for the Bookshop

Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop opened its doors on October 21, 2021. The bookshop carried a wide variety of literature and bookish goods for folks of all ages and backgrounds, becoming a beloved part of the Rome community. The bookshop's loyal mascot, Carl LaFong, was an integral part of the operation, dutifully greeting visitors and serving as a valuable marketing asset. In July 2024, an EF-2 tornado struck the City of Rome, causing serious damage to over 80 buildings in the immediate vicinity. The bookshop building lost its roof, suffered water damage, saw the destruction of its HVAC system, had copious amounts of glass shattered, lost most of its furnishings, and much more. With its building unusable, Keaton & Lloyd operated a series of pop-up book sales after the closure. Carl LaFong found employment at the historic Capitol Theatre, where he came to enjoy a fulfilling career as a Theater Cat. Plans for the business were made, but the length of time taken for insurance settlements to be reached for the building's restoration caused tentative agreements to fall through several times over.

Today, Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop is planning a comeback, with many positive changes in the works. Bookshop operations have been lovingly adopted by the Capitol Arts Complex, a 501(c)3 nonprofit and one of the most vibrant arts organizations in Central New York. The Capitol is painstakingly working to restore the building at 236 W. Dominick Street (which it has owned for many years; Keaton & Lloyd was its tenant). Its goal is to establish its own version of Keaton & Lloyd in the fall of 2025. The bookshop will have the same good vibes, with a few new twists. As work is tackled, the building will serve a variety of important functions, including a rehearsal space for the Capitol's "SummerStage" musical theater program and the "Capitolfest" film festival dealer's room. The Capitol will offer Carl LaFong a part-time position at the bookshop, since Mr. LaFong also enjoys his theater gig and would like a hybrid role.

Operating as a nonprofit program of the Capitol opens the bookshop up to many new opportunities! The Capitol looks forward to engaging members of the community as volunteers to assist with bookshop operations. It will also be able to apply for grant funding for literacy programming and utilize the bookshop to help promote its other extraordinary events. In the meantime, contributions toward the reopening are greatly appreciated. Those so inclined may send checks to the Capitol at the following address:

Capitol Arts Complex
220 W. Dominick St.
Rome, NY 13440

Checks may be made out to "Captiol Theatre," with "Bookshop" in the memo line. Donations can also be made online via the GoFundMe link in the header of this website. Those wishing to purchase books while also supporting Keaton & Lloyd until it reopens a brick-and-mortar storefront are encouraged to purchase online at www.bookshop.org. Those with gift certificates for the "old" business will be able to redeem them for a period of one month following the bookshop's reopening. New gift certificates will be available for purchase upon reopening.