Last week, eleven independent bookstores in San Francisco received a surprising gift—a no strings attached cash grant from the city. San Francisco city government, in partnership with the nonprofit Working Solutions, awarded a total of $103,000 to fund “revitalization” of the eleven shops. Along with the money, the indie bookstores will get assistance from the city to negotiate leasing deals, help with municipal services, technical assistance for marketing, and human resources development.

The lucky booksellers included the popular Green Apple Books, Dog Eared Books, Alley Cat Bookstore, and Stevens Books.