Some of our viewers may resonate with this feeling: that dream in the core of their heart that they did not give much weight to because it didn’t seem realistic. But his pandemic has caused many people to reexamine what they really want in life. Bakersfield resident, Alyse Chandler is one of those people.
“Especially going through this last year, I’ve just realized how short life really is, and why am I doing something that I’m not 100 percent passionate about?” 29-year-old Bakersfield Resident and respiratory therapist Alyse Chandler said.
The part of the job Chandler is the most passionate about: The people she works with, the patients, and the community that she said stepped in when things got tough during this pandemic.
“I mean, we were going without lunches and breaks, and we would have people like WN Citrus bring us oranges and people buying us food and pizza and making sure we were being fed,” Chandler said.
Now, Chandler wants to contribute to her Downtown Bakersfield community and fulfill a lifelong dream of opening up a bookshop lounge called Chandlers: An Independent Bookstore.
“As a kid, I would always go to a local bookstore. That is where I would spend a majority of my time,” Chandler said. “In my life I always thought, I would always have this bookstore to go to. That bookstore ended up closing down. But I was like, 'We need to have a bookstore for our kids, the next generation.'”
All grown up, she’s pairing that with another love of hers, wine and planning on sourcing beer and food from local vendors to make this an inspiring space for the neighborhood town she loves and has seen grow over the last few years.
“You’re going to walk in and be greeted with a smile. There will be locally made candles, soaps, maybe some art, ceramics. You can order a beer, a wine or a coffee, and just snuggle up in one of our couches or chairs, grab a book and you can just spend all afternoon reading there,” Chandler described the future bookshop/lounge.
She is looking for the community’s support to help her realize this dream.
