Hi!

My name is Sierra Mafield, the founder and owner of A Little Break Bookstore.

The journey to creating this company is very personal to me.

I lost my oldest brother, Shawn, to suicide when I was just ten years old.

Though it wasn't until I was probably nineteen that I started to consciously understand the importance of mental health, I think losing my brother instilled some knowledge of it from a very young age.

That experience has shaped a huge part of who I am forever.

Sierra with her favorite picture of Shawn on the 12th anniversary of his death.
December 9th, 2020

I’ve always had a hole in my heart for my brother with no inclination that it will ever go away. Some broken pieces can just never be repaired.

However, what I have learned both through his death and my own fight with depression and suicidal thoughts is that no one should ever have to fight these battles alone.

So where do the books come in?

I’ve loved reading since late middle school. (Fact: I hated it when I was little.) And the older I get, the more I appreciate a good book, what reading does for me, and what power books have on the world around us.

Eventually I had the idea to donate the proceeds of a business to something that matters to me. I can run the business for the service to the customer. But I can donate the dollars for something I’m passionate about.

Enter: my love for reading.

And (over time) I’ve realized that my mission for mental health for all isn’t so unique to me after all.

Hence, A Little Break was born.

It started with my own grief 15+ years ago, but it’s been pushed to reality by connecting with others about the importance of mental health and seeing that this goal is important to them, too.

It makes me so deeply, truly happy that I can bring this bookstore to life and bring people along with me to help save lives. Every single day I work here, I think about Shawn and wonder if he would be excited to see me changing the trajectory of his tragedy into something that can help others.

I think he would be.

So, with you being here with me, I want you to find your next favorite read. I hope you find many next favorite reads! But even more importantly, I want you to find joy in knowing that your purchase is going to make a difference - and potentially save someone’s life.