Part of Read All Over closes for the winter

The bookstore portion of a downtown Fredericksburg business has closed for the winter, giving the owner time to think over the store's future.

Read All Over, at 307 William St. near Hyperion Espresso, doubles as a bookstore and meeting space for poetry readings, yoga classes, Fredericksburg All Ages shows, book clubs, art openings, plays and more. The events will go on as scheduled this winter despite the bookstore's closing.

Each time an event is held, books must be cleared away and then brought back afterward, said business owner Paul Cymrot.

Read All Over also competes against other downtown bookstores including The Griffin Bookshop and Cymrot's own Riverby Books.

Cymrot said he is trying to decide whether Real All Over's space, which his family owns, should be "a bookstore that hosts events or an event space that sells books."

Cymrot is now seeking a tenant for office space at the rear of the building. He also wants to see if anyone is interested in renting the entire space.

Venture capitalist to speak at local event

The founding partner of a Washington-area venture-capital firm will speak in Fredericksburg later this month on how to launch and sustain startup businesses, and why that is so important for local economies.

Jonathon Perrelli, founding partner of Fortify.vc, will address that subject during a Feb. 28 dinner at the Fredericksburg Hospitality House & Conference Center in Central Park.

Perrelli has started and sold many companies. His firm invests in promising startups and helps them grow. FredTech board member and WishStars founder Christine Goodwin helped set up Perrelli's local visit.

FredTech is putting on the event, which starts at 5:30 p.m. Tickets cost $45 for FredTech members, $50 for Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce members and $65 for the general public.

People interested in attending may contact Mary Garber at the area Chamber of Commerce.

--Bill Freehling