Provo bookstore, LGBTQ+ community space hopes to evade closure
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- Local artist Alissa Landefeld and her partner look at a rack of books at Mosaics in Provo on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.
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- The exterior sign of Mosaics bookstore in Provo is shown Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.
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- An inspirational poster is shown at Mosaics bookstore in Provo on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.
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- Tara Lipsyncki, a Utah drag queen and owner of Mosaics bookstore in Provo, is pictured Saturday, April 13, 2024, inside her business, which was the target of a bomb threat that day.
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- Painted images on the window pane of Mosaics bookstore in Provo are shown Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.
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- Painted images on the window pane of Mosaics bookstore in Provo are shown Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.
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- Stickers and items created by Alissa Landefeld are displayed at Mosaics in Provo on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.
When Tara Lipsyncki opened Mosaics Community Bookstore and Venue in northeast Provo last year, they had an idea for what space could be used for — but community response quickly shifted those plans.
“What it has become is so much better and so much more magical than I ever thought it would be,” said Lipsyncki, executive director for United Drag Alliance and co-founder of Mosaics.
Initially, the thought was the facility would act as a space for live music, perhaps with a speakeasy setting that also doubles as a bookstore.
“And then the community started saying, ‘Well, we just need a place to be, and we need a place to feel safe and seen,'” Lipsyncki said. “And so we’ve changed a lot of our programming, and I did not expect that change in programming and change of direction here to be as meaningful and impactful as it has been.”
Not only did Mosaics become a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community in Utah County, offering a bevy of events and a bookstore, it also included a food pantry, a thrift market and mental health services.
However, amid an onslaught of threats and financial hardships, Mosaics could be on the brink of closure, unless enough funds are raised to keep the doors open.
While Lipsyncki has worked to create an inviting and safe space along with the Utah Drag Alliance, the drag queen’s very own safety reportedly has been threatened numerous times.
In April and July, the establishment was the target of two separate alleged bomb threats.
Provo police were unable to locate a bomb or suspicious package.
Prior to those incidents, in September 2023, a bomb threat impacted a drag story time event at a Salt Lake City bookstore where Lipsyncki was set to do a reading, the Deseret News reported.
The terror only intensified when Lipsyncki was allegedly doxed by a “far-right hate group” earlier this year, ultimately causing them to flee from their childhood home in Salt Lake County, according to a fundraising account for Mosaics.
As if all of the aforementioned events weren’t enough, Lipsyncki has also been diagnosed with some health challenges that have led to them needing to pull back on their involvement in the day-to-day operations of Mosaics.
In efforts to keep the community resource operational with programming, staffing and other amenities, the United Drag Alliance is turning to the community for help.
A fundraiser has been set up to raise $200,000 by the end of December to cover needed costs for Mosaics to survive for another year while expanding services.
Initially, Mosaics took to social media with hopes of raising the funds to alleviate a closure by Dec. 1.
“So we have raised enough to stay open until Jan. 1.,” Lipsyncki told the Daily Herald. “So we can at least be here for the holiday season to make sure that everyone is taken care of. After that, it is a lot sketchier and a lot more up in the air.”
Dean Mauchley, director of store operations at Mosaics, says the variety of events and gatherings intertwined with community resources has made Mosiacs the ideal space to connect people from different communities in Utah County and beyond.
“That’s kind of our goal here, to create safe spaces for people to be at if they’re not safe to be maybe in their homes or maybe they are unhoused and they’re still trying to find spaces to be at in a safe space,” Mauchley said.
As a community center, Mosaics aims to provide a space suitable for numerous functions.
“However that looks, I think it’s kind of the goal for us to be a very flexible space for the community at large,” Mauchley said.
Alissa Landefeld, a Utah artist based in Provo who specializes in oil paintings, digital and pop-culture inspired art, has some of her work displayed at Mosaics. While she’s grateful to have the space to feature her art, she’s also been inspired by the overall vibrant atmosphere of the bookstore.
She believes Mosaics is a gem in the Provo community and it should be preserved.
“All the art opportunities and the community building in the arts that I’ve been a part of have been in Salt Lake City, and that’s not where I live,” Landefeld said. “So I have to drive an hour to be able to connect with other artists, to connect with people who are like minded and enjoy the things that I love. And it’s so nice to have somewhere that’s just down the street from me where I can connect with people.”
Ultimately, despite the financial strain Mosaics is faced with, both Lipsyncki and Mauchley say they are committed to keeping the resource in Provo — even if relocation is imminent.
“If this location has to close, it will be heartbreaking, but it’s not the end,” Lipsyncki said.
Most likely, Mosaics would have to move to a more cost-effective location.
Lipsyncki said a move would certainly be a setback, given the amount of room inside the current building, and interior, that was designed with safety in mind.
“Identities are protected, they’re safe from the violence. They can be who they want to be without the worry of an honor code, without the worry of being outed, without being anything like that,” Lipsyncki said. “So that’s why this is so important to keep this location because finding another space like this and having to create this again is not possible.”
The current fundraiser ends Friday, but those still looking to help can do so at mosaicsutah.com or at the store located at 1700 N. State St., Suite 16, in Provo.
