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MILWAUKEE (August 14, 2006) – In a step designed to reach more health information consumers, Small Stones Health Resource Center will move this fall to new, larger quarters adjoining the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops Brookfield store in the V. Richards Plaza, 17145 West Bluemound Road.
Operated by Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Small Stones combines the expertise of nurse educators, a health resource library, health screenings and classes and a retail store in a single setting. Under the new arrangement, Schwartz will manage the retail component of Small Stones while Froedtert handles the health education and resource aspect.
Joining forces with Schwartz Bookshops, Milwaukee’s oldest and largest independent bookseller, links Small Stones to an experienced, innovative retailer with strong community roots, according to Kathleen Perlewitz, director of access services at Froedtert Hospital.
“Since its launch in early 2002, Small Stones has grown steadily as a reliable source of health information,” said Perlewitz. “Annually, nearly 15,000 people visit the store for books, gifts and other items, to talk to our nurse educators, to participate in workshops and health screenings, and more than 3,000 are enrolled as Small Stones members. With the retail expertise of Schwartz Bookshops behind us, we can focus on what we do best — provide health information and resources.”
According to Carol Grossmeyer, president of Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, the collaboration is a first for Schwartz Bookshops.
“Teaming up with Small Stones will bring a richness to all of our shops,” Grossmeyer said. “Customers are thrilled that nurses will be on site to answer questions, and our employees are looking forward to tapping into their knowledge of health books and other resources.” She added, “David Schwartz would be so proud of this. He truly believed our stores should reach out to the community.”
Small Stones will lease 3,800 square feet of space, roughly triple the size of Small Stones’ current site at 8700 Watertown Plank Road. The new location at 17145C West Bluemound Road, a former Hallmark store once occupied by Schwartz, is just east of the current Schwartz Bookshop. Small Stones will have its own storefront and retain the soothing store personality that has become its signature, but a pass-through between the two shops will enable customers to move freely between them. The additional space allows Small Stones to add inventory as well as a private consulting room for nurses to meet with customers and a community education room for classes and screenings. Small Stones’ hours will be extended to match the Brookfield Schwartz Bookshop’s hours.
Redesign of the new Small Stones site is currently under way by HGA-Milwaukee, and the center is expected to open in its new location in early November.
Small Stones is a name drawn from a Chinese proverb: “Those who remove mountains begin by carrying away small stones.”
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