how the story develops

Man. Wow. Okay, I've got loads to talk about.
First, I want to add that I'm quickly learning how tangled and complex a story can appear to be after doing some heavy reporting. Or really how a story can unfold by just calling people on the phone.
The Afro-In Books and Cafe story first started, really, as me trying to find an interesting place to visit in Liberty City-- y'know just to check it out.
But then I read the bookstore was the area's only bookstore, and probably one of the few African-American bookstores in Miami. That was appealing and it had huge potential to be a story. Pitched the story to my professor/editor Neil Reisner, who I call by his first name because, yeah, we're on a first name basis. Totally cool.
Anyway, he liked the idea so that's my story!
Drove down to the shop to see what it's all about and it definitely looks dilapidated and not in business. Called the place and the operator said the line was disconnected.
So through some phone calls, I find out the place was closed down in August 2009. Yikes. Well, there goes my story... uh not so fast. There's still a story here, said Neil.
So I make phone calls and decide my story is about the loss of a cultural institution in a low-income neighborhood. But then I hear this man, Darrin Ferguson, is trying to reopen it. HUH? Now that's a story. A better one at that.

I get his number and talk to him, and he's pretty much working with a couple of other people to reopen the store. Nothing concrete or anything but just a plan and an investment. Okay that's sounds good.

I wrote up a first draft about how this man wants to reopen the store. It's a little weak, but Neil said it was well-written... it just has a ton of holes. So I do more reporting.
I find out that Ferguson is working with Clarence Jones, nephew of Earl and Eursla Wells (owners of the property and the ones who opened the store back in the 80s). Hmm. Now this is more interesting. Though, apparently, Ferguson had never met or spoke to Jones. Ferguson knew of Jones through a mutual friend Bernon Quinn, a local business owner-- I believe it's a sporting goods store. Actually come to think of it, Ferguson didn't even know Jones' name. He only knew that Jones was nephew to Earl and Eursla Jones.

Hmm. Okay. Well right now I've got nothing because Ferguson doesn't have his number or name. So by using the white pages and the Miami-Dade property appraiser, I find Earl and Eursla's phone number. They live in Tennessee.

Now I'm a little nervous to call because I had read in a previous Afro-In article from The Miami Times that they refused to talk to anyone and they had a spokesman talk for them. So this was nerveracking.
Well I bit up the nerve to call them and they were nice. Earl gave me a brief history of the store and this was all good info. And from him I was able to get Jones' phone number.

I called Jones up and explained to him what I was doing. He was receptive and asked him what was up? Did he know Ferguson was? etc.
Didn't know who Ferguson was but did know who Quinn was. Then he told me a piece of info that was vital-- he was meeting with the City of Miami Arts and Entertainment Council and Books & Books. WHAT? Books & Books? Apparently Books & Books is interested in reopening the store. AWESOME.

Got in contact with the man from the Arts Council. His name is Marvin Weeks. He told me that the council is negotiating some kind of plan to reopen the place. It's gonna happen but it's at a really premature stage.

This is amazing. I call Neil about it and he's incredibly excited! His excitement makes me excited as well. Like he's really excited and he's telling me how much he's proud of me. This means a lot considering that I got a terrible grade in Neil's Print News Workshop class from the previous semester. That was a rough class and I thought there was no hope. But to hear him say all this to me. Definitely means a lot. LIke a crap-ton.

Anyway, he tells me to get in contact with Mitch Kaplan, founder of Books & Books. That got me nervous because he seems like the top dog at B&B, but I gotta do it. I call the Gables B&B and they just give me his cell number. Woah. That was easy.

Gave him a call but didn't answer. Left a voicemail. No call back.

Come morning time I gotta do a lot of crunching for this story. Call him again and leave a message. He calls me back instantly. Talked to him for a bit about the place. Didn't seem too comfortable talking about it since plans are pretty premature. Honestly, though, for someone like Mitch Kaplan to be interested in reopening a closed-down bookstore located in a really low-income, black neighborhood is enough of a story. And the fact that he's trying to make it happen with the help of the Arts council is just great.

Write the story up. I had been writing for a good couple of weeks adding and omitting info as I go. Once I had Mitch Kaplan's quotes-- the story was essentially done.
Send the story to Neil and I get a phone call 30 mins later.

Me: "Hello".
Neil: "You rock!"
Me: [laugh] "Thank you, man! So, you read it?"
Neil: "I read the first two paragraphs and said 'you nailed it!'"
Me: [laughs]
Neil: " You ****** nailed it!"

Awesome. Then I hear SoFla Times love it, too! Man amazing.
Then I hear I'm getting front page of the times? WHAT?! This is ridiculous! All of this happening within three hours. It's intense.

Look for it this coming week.

Brad Bennett, editor of the SoFla Times, asked if I can possibly get Mitch Kaplan to pose for a picture at the bookstore. Told them he might decline. But I called anyway and Kaplan was not digging the idea because of these plans are still in the beginning stages.

Bennett didn't seem to mind too much. There ya go, though. That's the Afro-In Books and Cafe story. My first story for the Liberty City Link and the South Florida Times.

-ryan