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Positively San Diego: Competitors volunteer to keep South Park bookstore open

Posted at 8:32 PM, Feb 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-12 23:38:06-05

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- A pair of bookstore owners in South Park are grateful after their store was kept open by generous volunteers.

It’s only been a year, but The Book Catapult has become a go-to for people looking for something different.

Jennifer Powel and her husband Seth Marko love sharing their passion for books with others.

In the last days of January, the couple discovered that Seth needed emergency open heart surgery

“Very intense surgery but there was no other option and we were confident that everything was gonna go well,” said Powel.

Thankfully, he made it out ok, but was in no shape to work. Since Jennifer was taking care of him and their three-year-old daughter, she couldn’t work either.

Once word started to spread, they realized the bookstore’s doors couldn’t stay closed for long.

“Everybody kinda jumped into action immediately which is really wonderful because then we were literally only closed for a day,” said Powel.

Colleagues from other bookstores decided to staff the shop, free of charge, until Jennifer and Seth could get back on their feet.

Powel said she was touched by the outpouring of support. “It's not really hard to believe that this happened but it's still heartwarming to see that it did come into place.”