HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-06-27 Mayte Castro
Charlene Way
From:Mayte Castro <Mayte@bowmanfuneral.com>
Sent:Tuesday, June 27, 2023 4:39 PM
To:Clerks Comment
Cc:Mayte Amari
Subject:RE: Pearl House/ Fourth St. Books
External Sender - Please use caution with links or attachments.
Hello! Good evening!
To whom it may concern,
Bare with me, I am not a writer by any means. I just genuinely try to speak from the heart.
Many locals, the people who have resided in the treasure valley for over a decade have
felt the effects both negative and positive from the amount of growth over the last 5 years. I
am writing this from a local’s perspective being born and raised in Boise but living in many
different cities here within the Valley (Boise, Meridian, Emmett, Kuna, Caldwell, and Eagle.) I
had a brief time where I was not a resident of Idaho while attending my first 1 year of high
school I lived in St. George, UT (Talk about a small town.) Since living there for almost 2
years back in 2011 it too has become a very popular place for people to live and has had
great growth.
I came back home in 2013 and found things to still be somewhat the same. If you have
ever moved away from home and then you come back there’s this new found appreciation for
where you grew up. That’s what I went through coming back home to Boise. BUT I realized
how behind in social and cultural development we were. I always yearned to go back to Utah
for the diversity and access to things we just weren’t ready for here in the Valley. We were still
too small, like we used to say we were “not on the map” yet. Although Meridian was starting
to become a hotspot.
My significant other grew up in Meridian in the late 90’s early 2000’s. He tells me
stories of riding bikes with his brother down meridian rd. (before it was a double lane rd.),
going to the meridian pool every summer all summer long, him and his siblings would go
check out books and VHS movies from the Meridian Library, and when walking out his back
door we could see where his grass stopped and where the dirt began and went on forever.
Riding his bike heading north on Meridian rd. Past Ustick he could look out to see for miles
without a house or building insight, it was all fields and maybe a few horses. Slowly but surely
his home became a part of a cul-de-sac, that became a part of a suburb, then that became a
part of now downtown Meridian.
In 2018 is when I personally really started to see a huge shift in the influx of new people
moving here. I will not lie; I absolutely despised it. I loathed seeing different license plates
from different states flooding my hometown roads. It wasn’t until I saw the expansion in
culture within the various communities that I sat and pondered to myself, “this is what a living
organism looks like.” I started seeing new little locally own boutiques and coffee shops in
some of our historical architectures in downtown Boise, off Harrison Blvd., in Southeast Boise,
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and in the north end! In any city it is a continuous progression. The form of it is always
changing and altering into something new. Meridian is no different. I currently live in Eagle,
there is a tremendous amount of growth happening there as well. Really everywhere within
the valley is being affected by some sort of construction or new businesses popping up here
or there. I see certain pieces of land that used to be privately owned being bought and altered
into shopping centers or little outlet malls. These are the types of businesses that take from a
community and do not add value. Value is what we should be looking for whenever there is
approval for a new build or for a new business.
I guess what I’m really trying to say by giving you a backstory of my residency history
and expressing my observation of change and expansion within a city is that “change” or
“growth” I like to say, is inevitable. I’m sure we all know about how hard change and growth
can be. It’s uncomfortable and sometimes painful but when something becomes stagnant or
when something stops evolving it eventually meets its demise, it’s end. That is not something
I wish to see for the city of Meridian. I think the question should be, “what kind of growth do
we want in the community?”
I met Chelsea Major in January of 2022 at a Beauty Boost Boise event. This was an operation
I helped organize on occasion. The Beauty Boost is a franchise out of Ohio, it is still currently
a community meant for women to gather in health and wellness. Creating a safe space for
women to feel empowered by other women. She participated in most of our major events both
as a vendor and an ambassador. I would say the core values and intent of what the Beauty
Boost Boise stands for is to the core what Chelsea represents and how she tries to meet the
people she encounters in her everyday life. She is truly a light in the community. Chelsea, for
me, was one of those people that just kind of came out of nowhere and became such an
influential role in my life. I am not an avid book reader, nor would I call myself someone who
is well-versed in literature, but Chelsea is. Since getting to know her I have felt more inspired
than ever to start gaining knowledge through reading books again. Chelsea has shown me a
whole new light to what reading books is. She is a knowledgeable woman with years of
experience working with people. Something about her that I find admirable is she has worn
many different hats maybe to many to name but to name a few: corporate gal, yoga instructor,
loving wife, compassionate friend, and now indie bookstore owner. I feel this gives her a
perspective unlike anyone I’ve ever known. She is a very caring, kind, warmhearted,
outgoing, and giving individual. I have witnessed firsthand the interactions and impact she has
had with the community. From helping with markets and vendor pop ups, I have been able to
see her light up and really connect when speaking about a book she loves with one or more
of her customers, or an author of one her handpicked curated books she carries in her pop-up
shop and to witness that person being so engaged and thankful that they feel heard and
understood. It speaks volumes. It shows her genuine character. It shows the passion for
books, the passion for making books as accessible as possible, the passion for making
people feel included as well as related to.
Well what sets Pearl House /Fourth Street Books apart from just having the local
Meridian library? Why have another bookstore?
I very often come to meridian to see family and meet up with friends to have lunch, or
grab a drink at a local coffee shop, and breweries. I think the Meridian community needs more
places like this. I think a place like Fourth St. Books is an essential part of the type of growth
I’d want to see in my community. I personally will always support small locally owned
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businesses because it shows heart. It shows that someone who is willing to put in the work
really does care about what they are doing. It shows someone that has dreams and never
stops dreaming and being inspired to create. A small business owner brings a special kind of
diversity. The idea for this up and coming locally owned intimate indie bookstore was an idea I
heard and thought to myself, “Yes, this is new/ fresh. This is unique, this isn’t like anything
that I have seen yet. At least not here in Boise/ Eagle/ or Meridian areas.” The location is
everything! Having a home revamped and brought back to life gives it that familiar feel. It is
not something being torn down just to plaster something bright, new, and shiny. It gives me a
nook n cranny kind of feel. It’s there to be taken in, seen, and enjoyed but blended in enough
leaving its original surroundings undisturbed. I foresee people picking out a new read or
finding a quiet place to escape, Couples venturing to a new date night spot, or youth asking
parents to go pick out a book down the street. Our youth need every reason to be interested
in reading books, they are our future, they need the opportunity to gain knowledge/
perspective/ imagination through reading books, this gives them one. It’s not new age but it
peaks an interest because it would be something new for them, also something new for us
adults to get us reading and to continue to read.
I am for Fourth St. Books because, it is for the community, it’s literature that is intentionally
handpicked, It’s the human being behind the idea. It’s the person whose intent is to add
positive value to a community. There is power in knowledge and there is knowledge in books.
I’d love to see this bookstore become a reality for the meridian community.
Thank you for your time,
Mayte Castro (Eagle, Idaho)
Mayte Castro
Administra?ve Assistant
10254 W. Carlton Bay Drive
Garden City, Idaho 83714
Phone: 208-853-3131
Fax: 208-672-8680
Email: mayte@bowmanfuneral.com
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