Too often, when we bring you news of a local business trying to raise money in a hurry, it’s not a nice story. But for Capitol Hill’s Pilot Books, their drive to raise $2,500 isn’t about keeping the doors open. Pilot’s Summer Robinson — we talked to her in a Small is Beautiful business series — is asking for the community’s help in buying a new camera to record readings at the Broadway shop:

Every month, authors from around the country (and Canada) converge on a special blue rug in Seattle. They come to read and occasionally to write at Pilot Books. They’re poets, novelists, flash fictionados, short storytellers, performance artists, playwrights, and more.

What they have in common is a love for small press and independent literature. We do, too, and we want to capture their diverse artistic angles on camera with the BAMWOOD video series.

But first, we need a camera.

What we have today is a 7-year-old point and shoot… or a camera phone. Not pretty.

What we’re asking for is a NEX-VG10 Interchangeable Lens Handycam with a 16mm f/2.8 wide-angle lens and a tripod. Much better!

Pilot Books is a hyper-independent, small press bookshop with wall-to-wall carpet. All our events are free and open to the public. Besides booksellin’, we host writing and reading groups, house a free lending library, and run a micro-residency program where authors get paid to write in the shop. Sound like fun? Read all about us.

Pilot is currently at less than 40% of goal with about two weeks to go. Before you say, “Good luck, kids!” and click away, consider whether you’d like to have things like Pilot in your neighborhood or whether you’d like to be able to watch more local writers read their stuff. You can drop your contribution in the can here.