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Book Bound

Ease What Ails You at UpUp Books

February 19, 2025 Leave a Comment

by Elizabeth Costello

Michelle Gutman; photo credit: Isa Hammond
Michelle Gutman; photo credit: Isa Hammond

I had a great time talking with Michelle Gutman of UpUp Books in Portland, Oregon, about how to bring people together through books. Gutman opened UpUp in 2023, after starting on a social service path during the pandemic. She was working with children, getting trained to address domestic violence and prevent suicide, and she was moved by connecting with others, but she felt that something wasn’t quite right. A lifelong reader who grew up with poets and artists, Gutman realized that what she always wanted to do was to open a bookstore — and that doing so would scratch her itch to bring people together.

“I realized…it’s not something I’m running but the community’s running, that I can have a bookstore that has a workshop space and functions like an apothecary,” said Gutman. “You come in and you’re not feeling so great, and you’re drawn to what’s going to ease your ailments.”

Gutman had previously lived in Buckman (in NE Portland) and knew right away that that was the neighborhood for her store. From the beginning, she approached UpUp as a place that would be responsive to the changing needs of the neighborhood. She was fully aware that Portland already had a thriving ecosystem of great bookstores and wanted to focus on small presses, local authors, and two-wheeled literary outreach.

“I quickly formed a relationship with Street Books, which is a bicycle-powered library for those living outside. They’re one block down,” she said, noting that the proximity meant she could make an immediate positive impact by serving as a conduit for book donations. “Because they’re so close and only open on Tuesday, I thought why don’t people just drop off books for them here. Then I did a fundraiser at my shop for their spring campaign, featuring local poets Matthew Dickman and Marcus Lattimore. Marcus is an ex-football player and an amazing spoken-word poet who takes a typewriter to different places in Portland, asks people to give him a word and writes a poem with it on the spot.”

Gutman knew that she wanted to have a “kickass” poetry section, but the business reality soon became apparent. As she started buying books for the shop, she discovered poetry volumes are expensive, and because they tend to be physically small, they are easy for the casual shopper to miss. After talking to a friend about the layout of the shop, she decided to put poetry on the new arrivals shelves that prop books up to showcase the full cover. When you walk into UpUp, beautiful poetry collections are the first thing you see.

I asked Gutman what she has found surprising in terms of sales, and I was pleased to learn that she sells a lot of fiction.

“It’s interesting to see what people gravitate towards,” she said, noting that she assumed there would be more interest in nonfiction. “Although there is interest in social justice and climate change, there is not as much as I thought, and people are more interested in local authors and fiction.”

UpUp: a cozy, welcoming space. Photo credit: Christopher Dribble
UpUp: a cozy, welcoming space. Photo credit: Christopher Dribble

I’m hoping people will pick up a copy of my novel The Good War at an event at UpUp that I’m offering there on March 6th with another Portland writer, Mary Rechner, whose most recent book, Marrying Friends, is out from local small press Propeller Books. I was inspired by UpUp’s eclectic programming to suggest that we discuss books that have had an influence on our work as well as reading from our own books. We will also invite the audience to share their thoughts about books that have made a big impression on them.

UpUp is the sort of cozy and attractive space that makes you want to engage with your fellow readers, writers, and artists. In the workshop space in the back of the store, paintings by Gutman’s father hang on the walls. There you can take a workshop such as “Eno/Ono,” which invites writers to employ some of the strategies musicians use to generate new work or participate in Gutman’s six-week series engaging with Julia Cameron’s The Artists Way. Gutman also offers a semi-monthly book club where she leads the conversation artfully — she comes prepared with great questions but knows how to pass the mike.

Gutman notes that everything in her store is on wheels, which makes it easy to rearrange the space for hosting events and gathering community. Her many upcoming plans for UpUp include hosting a roundtable discussion and fundraiser for local food magazine Kitchen Table on Thursday, March 27th, and a 15-year celebration for Street Books on Thursday, April 10th. She is also working on creating “book boxes,” artfully packaged sets of works that work well together — kind of like an herbalist at an apothecary, putting together the teas and tinctures to lift you up or calm you down. I recommend you check out UpUp when you’re in Portland — it’s a perfect place to browse and find that special something you didn’t know you needed.

Author of The Good War and RELIC, Elizabeth Costello was a finalist for the James Jones First Novel Fellowship and the Pirate’s Alley William Faulkner Award. She has written about dance, film, theater, and poetry for SF Weekly and 7X7. Her poetry has been published in venues including The Buffalo Evening News, Crab Orchard Review, Fourteen Hills, and the Solitary Plover.

Filed Under: Book Bound Tagged With: BookBound, Elizabeth Costello, Independent Bookstores, Portland, UpUp Books

Elephant Ear Books: Plymouth’s New Literary Haven

December 18, 2024 Leave a Comment

by Megan Schikora

As someone who moved from Detroit to Plymouth as a kid, returned to Plymouth every time I moved away, and has lived here now since 2010, I have been asking the same question for years. “Why doesn’t Plymouth have a bookstore?” As an avid reader, I have felt the absence of such a staple in this otherwise vibrant downtown area, flush with shoppers and thriving shops.

Then, in November, a friend texted me. “Did you know a bookstore just opened in Plymouth?” The next day, I hustled over to Elephant Ear Books.

The store is part of a collection of businesses at Ann Arbor Trail and Harvey Street that look from the outside like cozy cottages nestled close. Inside, the gray walls, black shelves, and generous sunlight create an atmosphere both modern and warm, a combination of clean lines and soft touches. The comfortable minimalism of the space allows the books themselves to step forward as the focal point.   

The owner is Melissa Schabel, who doesn’t quite know how to answer when people ask, “Where are you from?” She’s lived all over, including New Hampshire, Boston, Arizona, New Jersey, Ireland, and Texas. In 2020, she had the opportunity to buy the house next door to her best friend in Saline, Michigan, where she now lives with her husband and two sons.

Melissa is a librarian, former bookstore employee, creator of her store’s beautiful handmade greeting cards, and a lifelong book lover who used to spend all her babysitting money in bookstores. She reads anything that strikes her, but she has a penchant for fiction, naming J. Courtney Sullivan’s The Cliffs and Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods as favorite recent reads. Though she loved her library work, she realized she wanted to open a store of her own and decided last year, “If I don’t do it now, it’s never going to happen.” Spurred on by the loss of her father, she committed to the undertaking. “You can’t have regrets. You have to jump.”

While looking for a space, someone suggested she visit Plymouth. Seeing it for the first time, she says, “My shoulders dropped. [I knew] this is the type of place I want to be in.” Her family was a huge help in preparing the store for opening, and Melissa DIYed whenever and wherever possible to keep costs under control. In November, she cut the ribbon on Elephant Ear Books, the name a fun nod to her love of elephants.   

Now, Melissa can be found behind the counter every day, greeting customers who tell her how glad they are that she’s here. She loves talking about books with customers and wants to know what they like to read. She’s also happy to place special orders and wants to expand her unique, thoughtfully curated inventory to reflect the tastes of the community. “I want to be the community bookstore.”

Like all independent bookstores, Melissa faces challenges around visibility, competition with retail giants, and the limitations of physical space. Down the road, she would like to host store events, and she will feature local authors, beginning with Michigan native Breeda Miller. The Plymouth Chamber of Commerce has been a great support, and word of mouth continues to spread. In the three weeks since Elephant Ear Books opened, the store already has repeat customers.        

About Elephant Ear Books, Melissa says, “It really is my happy place,” a realized dream of owning and running a bookstore in a walkable downtown area. And as someone who really values living in a walkable downtown area, I’m delighted that Elephant Ear Books has arrived. For me, there are few greater pleasures than walking into a bookstore. Entering that intimate physical space, touching and smelling the books, browsing and making selections – it’s a sacred experience. Now, to have it, I don’t have to leave my town.

Elephant Ear Books is located at 449 S. Harvey Street in Plymouth, MI 48170. (734) 453-4707. Find Elephant Ear Books at https://bookshop.org/shop/elephantearbooks

Megan Schikora worked in mental health and higher education for many years before turning her full attention to writing. Her short stories and personal essays have appeared in numerous publications, and her debut novel A Woman in Pink was a Writing Award Short List choice for the 2023 Page Turner Awards. She lives in Michigan with her daughter.

Filed Under: Book Bound Tagged With: Bookstore, Elephant Ear Books, Megan Schikora, Plymouth

FLAGSHIP BOOKS: A Vibrant Addition to an Old Kansas City Neighborhood

February 13, 2024 Leave a Comment

by Catherine Browder

Flagship Books celebrated its second anniversary in the historic Strawberry Hill district of Kansas City, Kansas, on January 27, 2024. Brothers Ty and Joel Melgren left a more residential block and moved uphill to their current storefront in April of 2023. The old downtown district of Kansas City, KS, with Strawberry Hill nearby, is perched on bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers. This once Central European neighborhood is enjoying a multi-national renaissance.

“Here, we’re in the heart of Strawberry Hill,” Ty explains.

Currently, at 510 N. 6th St., they enjoy steadier foot traffic, a third Friday Arts Walk, burgeoning and established businesses, and a busy Mexican restaurant across the street. Next door you can find a hairdresser, an auto body shop and a gym. The Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association meets at Flagship, as does a monthly Big Open Book Club, where patrons “come and hang out and talk about books.” They are a neighborhood business and proud of it.

During the recent AWP#24 conference, Flagship hosted off-site readings for Indy and university presses, including three Canadian presses. In its short life it has offered book launches for several local authors and is scheduled to do another in early Spring of ’24 for veteran KC poet, Trish Reeves. A table to the left of the entrance features local authors. Indeed, its support of local writers is one of its great appeals.

Melgren brothers: Ty (l) and Joel

What was once a grocery and bar in the 1950s later became a yoga studio and then a real estate agency. The pressed tin ceiling, the polished hardwood floors and brick walls are original.

Over five years ago, Joel Melgren joined the real estate agency that had offices in the space. When the space became available to rent, the brothers thought it fit their project: to build a business that was both fun and community-oriented. The space is modest, but deep and airy. Displays racks, shelving and tables are movable, and the arrangement was different each time I visited.

Joel is the financial half of the enterprise, the one originally interested in establishing a business. Ty, with a side-job as an ESL teacher, makes the literary choices, revealing wide-ranging taste. On a day I visited, among a selection of popular new books, I found Clare Keegan’s latest and Danny Caine’s updated How to Resist Amazon and Why, while Sarah Smarsh’s work appeared on the regional author table. A “small book” title by Wendell Berry, Think Little, sat on a wall shelf. Ty has developed an interested in physically “small books.”

In the center stands a tall multi-sided display of well-curated used books, both recent titles and classics. In the rear, beyond a settee and chairs, is the children’s section. An enormous map of Wyandotte County, KS, covers the north wall and was in place when the brothers moved in. On the north side, is a table for meetings or art activities. The wall behind the table is covered in a white board where, that day, a drawing of Strawberry Hill was displayed. Children are free to draw on the board. Flagship recently hosted a clay artist.

Ty standing with wall map of Wyandotte, Co, Ks.

Ty points out the art work decorating both north and south brick walls: framed paintings by local Croatian artist Elaine Grisnik. Grisnik has been documenting Kansas/Missouri buildings for years. And on the central table displaying cards and stationery, puzzles and journals, Ty selects a postcard featuring work by Grisnik. The painting replicated on the card depicts Weiss Market and Bar, where Flagship Books now resides.

Strawberry Hill was settled in the late 1800s mostly by immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe: Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Poland, and Russia. The area is situated close to the West Bottoms of Kansas City, MO. Most of the newcomers were employed in the meat packing industry, located across the river in the Bottoms. Although the stockyards are long gone, the West Bottoms, now mostly warehouses, has burgeoned into a new art and entertainment district.

Early on, these European newcomers to Kansas City, KS, lived on the riverfront close to their stockyard jobs in Missouri. The 1904 flood destroyed these homes, forcing the community uphill. Highway and viaduct construction in the 1950s further intruded on the old Central European communities. Somewhat later Strawberry Hill became home to a sturdy Mexican-American community. And nowadays, Ty informs me, the area has become home to recent Burmese immigrants.

Even today, established communities in Strawberry Hill belong to two Catholic churches that anchor the area. The Croatian community still attends St. John the Baptist, and Holy Family Catholic Church, visible from the bookshop door, remains the Slovakian parish. St. John’s Park offers an impressive view of the Kansas City, MO, skyline.

A visiting humorist once referred to Kansas City as “a burgh the size of Asia.” He was referring, probably, to the larger Kansas City, in Missouri. But the Kansas City Metropolitan area, in fact, includes two states, both Kansas Cities and their suburbs, housed in five counties. “Spread out” is an understatement.

A patron looks over a table of Kansas City related books

Flagship Books, actually, began its life in a different part of the greater Kansas City Metro: North Kansas City, MO. Ty had recently been brought home from a State Department teaching job in Tunisia because of the pandemic. Home at that time was family, living in Mission, KS. He continued remote teaching for the State Dept, but online teaching was not something he enjoyed.

The brothers began brainstorming ideas for a business they might both support and enjoy. When Joel, the real estate agent, sold a duplex, they had the money to invest. The Iron District in NKC was geared for an outside space since the pandemic was still an issue. Businesses and patrons were looking for outside spaces, and the Iron District offered unique shipping containers. The Melgrens started tentatively, but people did come. Since the shop was housed in a shipping container, they thought the bookstores might best he named for a ship.

“But not a battleship,” Ty adds with a laugh. “Eventually we settled on Flagship-Joel had the idea. It served us well even though we outgrew the original space.”

They remained in the Iron District for nine months. Since they lived in Kansas, they felt motivated to return. When the first Strawberry Hill location opened, they were ready to move. Eventually, the real estate agency space on N. 6th St. became available, and the Melgren brothers willingly moved once more.

“We are more visible here,” Ty explained during one of my visits. “We have people in their 60s or older stop by to chat because they remember the location, remember Weiss’s grocery store or the people who lived upstairs.”

A 2023 book launch for The Manning Girl

This connection to Strawberry Hill’s past appeals to the brothers. Yet Flagship has both the comfortable, and comforting, atmosphere one expects of a bookshop, as well an as appealing community engagement and youthfulness. They’ve hosted local artists and printmakers as well as indie bands as part of the annual music festival organized by Manor records. They even offered a Chilean Music Night with the Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra.

The Melgren brothers’ commitment to local writers is proving to be another strength. One of the newest bookshops in the Metro, you increasingly hear people refer to Flagship. More readings and book launches are scheduled. Its social media sites are appealing and up to date. And more writers and writers’ organizations, as well as readers, are beating a path to its door.

Catherine Browder lives and writes across the river in Kansas City, MO. Her novel, The Manning Girl, (winner of the Petrichor Prize) was published by RHP in November of ’23 and has been selected by the Kansas City Public Library as a Book Club Book. She has published four collections of short fiction, including the award-winning Resurrection City: Stories from the Disaster Zone, about the NE Japan disaster of 2010. She is a recipient of fiction fellowships from the NEA and the Missouri Arts Council, and her work has appeared in anthologies and been nominated for a Pushcart.

Filed Under: Book Bound, Regal House Titles Tagged With: BookBound, Catherine Browder, Flagship Books, Joel Megren, Ty Megren

Eat, Drink, and Storytell: Life’s Essentials at M. Judson Booksellers

January 24, 2024 Leave a Comment

by Beth Uznis Johnson

The exterior of M. Judson Booksellers impresses with 1918 architecture.

The women who founded M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, SC, were not deterred by the economic reality in 2015. At a time when many indie bookstores were closing across the US, and amid the rise of a certain-unnamed-profit-gobbling-ecommerce-giant trying to force customers to buy and read books on screens, they accomplished an incredible feat: bringing the experience of books and stories back to downtown.

In a ‘go big or go home’ move, M. Judson Booksellers opened its doors in the historic courthouse building in the center of Greenville. The store’s exterior is impressive, with brick pavers, antique street lamps, grand stairs, and 1918 architecture with its ivory-colored façade and terra cotta ornamental trim in the Beaux Arts style. Once inside, the landmark experience of M. Judson continues to inspire not only readers of all ages, but lovers of food and drinks, and anyone looking for the perfect South Carolina gift.

“You’ll find our shelves bursting with books we can’t wait to tell you about, bestsellers and new releases, everything from poetry to Southern Lit to cookbooks, as well as gift items gathered from all over the Upstate. We’re proud to be more than just a bookstore; we’re a home for stories,” says Ashley Warlick, an M. Judson founder, novelist, and creative writing professor.

M. Judson event manager Alyssa Fiske showcases the fiction section.

The store is named after Mary Camilla Judson, a historic Greenville feminist and the first Lady Principal (they really called her that!) at the Female College of Greenville. Camilla Kitchen is the café inside M. Judson serving up delicious treats and drinks with stories of their own.

M. Judson is a general interest bookstore with selections in every genre. The children’s section is huge, with areas to read and play at a 14-foot community table. It is built around themes children love, such as cooking, STEM, art, trucks, and animals.

Guests attend a Sunday Sit-Down Supper to enjoy a literary-themed meal.

Literary-themed events are an important aspect of the M. Judson experience, with most events requiring tickets, including a book, and selling out. These are not your traditional bookstore events with an author behind a table signing books. Most are interactive, such as the Sunday Sit-Down Supper series where a chef prepares a meal inspired by a novel and attendees gather around a beautifully set table to dine and discuss. Camilla Kitchen offers book-themed cooking classes or demonstrations. The events calendar is packed with experiences, like an evening with symphony music, open-mic nights for writers, book and wine pairing events, and more.

“I think we have found the way to connect with our community and our readership here in Greenville and show them how to better support the literary world. Our goal is success for the people who are making and telling these stories. I do feel committed to that mission,” Ashley says.

The community component of bookselling has surprised her the most, with deepened ties as the store pivoted during the pandemic to meet its customers’ reading needs. Some patrons have continued having M. Judson staff read, select, and recommend books for them long after shutdown ended. Greenville is also a popular tourist destination, with M. Judson a must-visit destination for travelers. Ashley describes a beloved customer, who actually lives in California and saw on social media that the store offers book recommendations. Three years later, M. Judson still sends her books.

Author Katherine St. John discusses her book with event guests.

Nine years after opening an independent bookstore at a seemingly impossible time in history, M. Judson and Camilla Kitchen are thriving businesses in downtown Greenville. Firmly rooted in books and storytelling, often centered around food and drink, and providing a breathtaking experience both inside and outside the store, it is woven into the fabric of the city.

“We believe that stories don’t just come wrapped in book jackets. Sometimes they’re bottled in a wine, roasted in a bean, baked in a bread, woven into a tea towel, or created in a moment,” Ashley says.

Learn more about M. Judson Booksellers, upcoming events, or contact them to send you one of their famous “blind date” book selections to change things up in your reading life. You won’t be disappointed.

Beth Uznis Johnson’s fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Massachusetts Review, Broad Street, Mississippi Review, Cincinnati Review, Story Quarterly, Gargoyle, Southwest Review and elsewhere. Her essay, “Your Friend/My Friend, Ted,” was included in The Best American Essays 2018, edited by Hilton Als. Beth is the author of Coming Clean, released by Regal House Publishing on January 9, 2024.

Filed Under: Book Bound, Regal House Titles Tagged With: Beth Uznis Johnson, BookBound, M. Judson Booksellers

Volumes Bookcafe: A Beautiful Day in My Neighborhood

January 9, 2024 Leave a Comment

Volumes Bookcafe, Wicker Park in Chicago, 1373 N. Milwaukee Ave.

By Beth Uznis Johnson

Who remembers that glorious day in May 2020 when 28 authors from around the country released a reenactment of the library dance scene from The Breakfast Club to the song “We Are Not Alone”? I’d seen their faces on book jackets, Twitter, and a few in person at writing events over the years. Amid the isolation of the pandemic, to get this inside peek at their homes and dance styles was beyond thrilling.

Themes of social justice proliferate all sections of the Wicker Park store.

Not only did they dance their asses off, they did it in support of Volumes Bookcafe, an independent bookstore in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. The video was conceived by Chicago author, Rebecca Makkai, who is also the artistic director of the nonprofit literary organization, StoryStudio Chicago. At the time, I was a Michigan-based writer without a neighborhood bookstore. To see the literary community rally behind a beloved bookseller touched me deeply.

It was a great day on literary Twitter. I watched the dance video at least 10 times.

It made me long to move back to Chicago, a vibrant literary community, with many indie bookstores sprinkled around its more than 200 neighborhoods. Flash forward to 2023 and I did move back. With the launch of my debut novel, Coming Clean from Regal House Publishing, slated for January 2024, I vowed to never live in a community without a bookstore again.

“Volumes, on Milwaukee Avenue,” my friend Claude said without hesitation, when I asked for the best bookstore around my new condo in West Town. I scrambled to open my maps app and couldn’t believe my luck: Volumes Bookcafe of Wicker Park was only 0.7 mile away. A 15-minute walk! A 7-minute bike ride! A 4-minute drive if I could talk my husband into dropping me off.

Even better, I can pick up Claude on the way. She’s only 0.2 mile away.

Come to find out my kickass neighborhood bookstore has an amazing neighborhood story. When a new landlord upped the rent (during the pandemic, no less), forcing Volumes to temporarily close their doors in Wicker Park, the neighbors rallied. They found a great location, crowdsourced funds to BUY the store space, and partnered with owners, sisters Rebecca and Kimberly George, to open a new, forever location at 1373 N. Milwaukee Ave.

With the community deeply invested in the store and the days of pandemic isolation in the past, Volumes has everything a reader (or writer) could ever need, starting with the heavenly new-book smell and knowledgeable staff who love and care about literature. Foot traffic in the store has returned and the in-person event schedule is back and growing.

Owner Rebecca George greets guests at an author event.

Rebecca, who spends the bulk of her time at the Wicker Park location, gives me her take on the book business, including:

  • 1. Physical books are a much-needed escape in a world where people spend far too much time on screens.
  • 2. Community bookstores are a reflection of the community itself and, in Wicker Park, that means a focus on fiction, science fiction, kids’ books, and nonfiction on topics of social justice, popular culture, and true crime.

Volumes offers handwritten recommendations for books in all categories around the store, from its section featuring Chicago authors to carefully curated literary fiction, best-selling graphic novels, mysteries, memoirs, and on and on. The notes include quick plot summaries, staff picks, who liked the book and why. There are also novelty items and gifts for readers (and writers) like literary-themed mugs, t-shirts, bookends, and socks. There are cozy nooks for reading, a picnic table for discussions, and tables for work-oriented patrons. There’s a café with baked goods, coffee drinks, teas, and other refreshments.

Fiction, memoir, and biography, also popular in Wicker Park.

I sit with Rebecca while she checks out a customer, a man she obviously knows based on their rapport. He’s finally decided to use the gift card he’s been hanging onto, selecting a cookbook with glossy photographs.

“You’ll have to bring in some of the dishes you make and we’ll sample them,” Rebecca jokes. The customer laughs and pauses, seeming to seriously consider it. We chat for a few minutes and I wonder if there is a way to ask them to call me for this sampling party; I like to eat, especially when someone else cooks, and I’m new in the neighborhood and looking for friends.

After the customer leaves with his book, Rebecca shares there’s a story behind the joke: some amazing cookbooks were released in the spring of 2020, the early days of the pandemic, and a local mom and her kids had—indeed—continued to visit Volumes with samples of baked goods they’d made together.

Authors Bradeigh Godfrey and Alison Hammer (aka Ali Brady) at the
launch of The Comback Summer

The café, Rebecca says, is especially nice to have during author readings and other events at the store. She tells me about a literary-themed private event the night before: a husband planned a surprise party for his wife that included an 8-course meal with themes from her favorite classic books. She was one of Volume’s first Wicker Park customers. She was really surprised.

Rebecca also tells me about a children’s book, The Story of Ukraine: An Anthem of Glory and Freedom, that Volumes took to local schools for student readings over the course of a week. The Wicker Park neighborhood is next to Ukrainian Village, where many Ukrainian families live. One child, from a refuge family, read the book to his mom three times and insisted on sleeping with it. Other classmates got enthused and decided to do an action project to support Ukraine.

My new Chicago neighborhood suddenly feels distinctly more intimate than the bookstore-less Michigan suburb I’d lived for more than 20 years. Strange how a big city can feel quaint; a suburb can feel vast and never ending. During the brief years a Border’s Books opened and closed, I never heard friendly chats between shop owners and customers.

Rebecca says Volumes loves to support new authors and local writers. She encourages me to attend some events at the store and recommends an upcoming Ali Brady launch, a summer beach read titled The Comeback Summer. So, I go. It turns out the author is the writing team of Chicago writer, Allison Hammer, and her friend, Bradleigh Godfrey. I’m amazed at the turnout: the bookstore is packed! It turns out the authors are members of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, which has a large Chicago contingency. The WFWA members have come in droves to support the book.

As a proud member of the WFWA since its 2020 pandemic write-ins, I feel the warmth of the Chicago literary community like an embrace. How lucky to be here for the launch of Coming Clean. How amazing that Volumes Bookcafe is my neighborhood bookseller. How exciting to have Volumes in Wicker Park hosting my launch event on January 13, 2024.

How lucky I donated so many books before I moved and can now refill my shelves with all the great new literature. Volumes will see a lot of me in the years to come.

Visit Volumes for the launch of Coming Clean by Beth Uznis Johnson: Saturday, January 13, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. at Volumes Bookcafe, 1373 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 Website: www.volumesbooks.com ; Instagram: @volumesbooks ; Facebook: @volumesbooks ; X: @volumesbooks

Beth Uznis Johnson’s short fiction and essays have appeared in Massachusetts Review, Broad Street, Cincinnati Review, Story Quarterly, Mississippi Review, Southwest Review, “The Best American Essays,” and elsewhere. She lives and writes in Chicago. Coming Clean is her first novel. www.bethujohnson.com

Filed Under: Book Bound, Regal House Titles Tagged With: Beth Uznis Johnson, BookBound, regal house publishing, Volumes Bookcafe

You’ll Always Be Welcome: Celebrating Lemuria Bookstore’s 48 Years with Founder John Evans

December 1, 2023 1 Comment

Gerry Wilson interviews John Evans, the founder/owner of Lemuria Books

The façade of Lemuria Books would be impressive anywhere, but in Jackson, Mississippi, Lemuria’s doors represent the entrance to a long literary tradition. Lemuria’s founder and owner, John Evans, has a story to tell about the sculpture of a “book in hand” over the front doors.

He reminds me that Lemuria spent the early years (I was a customer even then) in a closet-size space in The Quarter, a small shopping center located on the outskirts of Jackson, and in Highland Village, which was a step-up location-wise, but it wasn’t John’s dream store. Lemuria moved to its present location, Banner Hall, in 1988. In the course of that move, John says, he immersed himself in design books and books about bookstores. He became enamored of Irish book shops and diners with unique entrances (think: a donut shop whose entry is a donut hole, or the old A&W root beer chain). Lemuria was settling in at the new location when the eBook craze began and threatened to take down physical book stores everywhere. That was when John settled on the symbol of the “book in hand” that would represent what was and is, for John and for readers, the essence of Lemuria. A design firm in New Orleans created the “sculpture.” Mounted over the front doors, the piece looks like a bronze, but to quote John, “If it were, you’d need a fortress to hold it up!” It’s striking just the same and speaks for Lemuria very well.

John will tell you that, even though much has changed over the years, Lemuria is the same warm place it was when the store first opened in 1975. The interior will remind you of someone’s lovely, dark-paneled home library. The staff are happy to help and/or make recommendations, but they won’t follow you around. You’re free to wander from room to room where the shelves are clearly defined for content.

There’s the “Mississippi corner,” where Lemuria celebrates Mississippi’s literary chops with unabashed pride. I’m happy to have one book on those shelves already, and That Pinson Girl will be there soon, alongside all the “Mississippi greats” I so admire. There’s as fine a selection of poetry books as you’ll find anywhere. Looking for travel or food or nonfiction? Lemuria has them all. There’s a children’s and youth shop, too—OZ, a magical little place. Lemuria boasts all the accoutrements of a “good” book store space but goes one better. The First Editions Room houses an exceptional collection of books you may not find elsewhere, especially the classic, collectible Mississippi authors—William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Ellen Douglas, Barry Hannah, Willie Morris—as well as the newer generations of writers: John Grisham, Richard Ford, Jesmyn Ward, Natasha Trethewey, Katy Simpson Smith, and many, many more. The Mississippi literary tradition lives on.

The photos I’ve included give you a taste of Lemuria, but they can’t tell the whole story. Only John Evans can do that.

He and I got together a while back. In the interview you may be struck, as I was, by his breadth of knowledge and his love for what he’s been doing all these years.

Here’s John:

GERRY: Lemuria’s website tells us, “In 1975, John Evans opened Lemuria in a converted apartment stuffed full of books in The Quarter in Jackson, Mississippi.” In 2025, Lemuria turns 50! To what do you attribute Lemuria’s longevity?

JOHN: Lemuria has many loyal writers, but we’ve maintained a malleable business plan that adapts as the industry changes. For the last 40 years, the industry has often been on a rollercoaster. We’re going through another period like that now. But Lemuria has maintained the loyalty of our readers and has been able to adapt to change.

GERRY: Lemuria has a very active visiting author schedule. Why do you think it’s important to provide the space where authors and readers come together?

JOHN: The answer goes back to when we [Lemuria] first began in the Quarter. A poet, Terry Hummer, came to me and wanted to do poetry readings in the book store. So we started having some poets come and read. The author list grew when the store moved [to Highland Village] around 1977-78. That’s when we met Ellen Gilchrist, we met Barry Hannah, we met Willie Morris, and we began to realize that writers being friends with the store made the books come alive and become more than a product. When books come alive, readers care more about them. It creates a more vibrant experience.

Also it’s fun! I didn’t realize when I started, but the ability to develop long-term friendships with writers has been a gift to my life. I’m not just somebody selling their books. They respect my work as I respect theirs.

So many writers who were great friends of Lemuria are gone. We can’t talk about the book store without talking about Miss [Eudora] Welty. What a gift. She shared so many of her friends [with the store]—like Walker Percy. Those friendships full of integrity and association wouldn’t have happened without her. John Grisham is another writer who has allowed the book store to stay out of debt!

GERRY: How do you want your customers to feel when they walk into the store?

JOHN: Relaxed! If they’re relaxed, they’re comfortable to explore. I’m a believer that books find you; you don’t just find them. Being a browser is like being a prospector; you’re trying to mine something that gives you something that’s unexpected, that makes it a special experience.

GERRY: What are the greatest challenges facing book store owners today? How do you address them?

JOHN: I think the most important thing today is to figure out how to maintain your upstream identity to the publishers and the value you bring to them. In 2020 the trade show was cancelled. That was where I went with staff, made the one-on-one contacts, discovered what books fit for us, what authors to befriend and/or bring to Jackson. I worked with Richard [Howorth] at Square Books in Oxford to “put Mississippi on the map.”

But so many people [in the book industry] quit because of Covid. It’s been difficult working with new people, but we have done a pretty good job. My young [staff] people are talking to their young people. But how do people perceive your authenticity when you’re doing everything by email or digitally? Online ordering became very important during the pandemic. We haven’t quite recovered from all that yet. It’s hard to explain what you think you mean to the community when someone doesn’t come in and see for himself. Ordering online has changed the dynamic.

GERRY: What do you want Lemuria’s legacy to be?

JOHN: I don’t know. I guess what legacy means is when you think about someone, what do you think about? “Well, you know, he shared this great book with me. That was his gift to me.” The connection is the book, the reading experience. And the reading experience is our own little creative art form we practice ourselves, what we’re reading and thinking about.

Also, it’s rewarding to have the third generation of families coming in the store. That makes me realize I haven’t wasted my life! Something’s being done right. That’s real.

As we were closing the conversation, John asked me a question. “You go all the way back to the Quarter,” he said. (I do indeed!) “Do you think the bookstore has maintained its essence?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” I said. “Yes, and then some.” And the three generations of readers who have now walked through Lemuria’s doors would agree.

If you read the news, no doubt you know that my home town, Jackson, has more than its share of problems. But no matter how often we deal with crumbling infrastructure or water woes, Lemuria stands quite literally “on a hill,” bringing the best of a broad range of reading pleasures to the community. If you’re ever near Jackson or willing to drive a little bit out of your way—then please: “Y’all come,” as my aunt used to call out from her porch as my parents and I drove away on Sunday afternoons. You’ll always be welcome. And if you can’t get to Jackson, do the next best thing: go online and pay Lemuria Books a visit.

Lemuria Books will host the reading/signing launch party for Gerry Wilson’s That Pinson Girl (available February 6, 2024) on March 7, 2024. 

Gerry Wilson is the author of Crosscurrents and Other Stories, published by Press 53, and a Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Fiction Award Nominee in 2016. An early draft of That Pinson Girl (coming from Regal House in 2024) was a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Writing Competition. Residing in Jackson, Mississippi, Gerry is the recipient of a Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Arts Fellowship.

Filed Under: Book Bound Tagged With: BookBound, Gerry Wilson, John Evans, Lemuria Bookshop, Regal House, That Pinson Girl

Montclair Book Center: Celebrating An Iconic Bookstore’s New Owners

July 21, 2023 4 Comments

by Patrick O’Dowd

When I close my eyes and picture a bookstore, the one that appears is Montclair Book Center. Rows upon rows overflowing with new and used books. Walls floor to ceiling with shelves of the same. A staircase that leads you upstairs from fiction to non-fiction. If you’d rather stay in fiction, you turn right at the stairs, and there’s another sea of books—children’s, sci-fi, fantasy. Deeper still, in the basement, are scores of records and an event space. They have rare books, first editions, comics, movies, anything your heart could desire lurks somewhere in this brilliant maze.

The store itself feels like a character from a novel. Like you wish you could get it to speak and tell you all its stories. It has a history to it. In the same way, a used book is special because you know someone else read and loved it, this store is special because of its past. You think of all the people who have walked in and gaped in awe at the shelves and the labyrinthine structure of the store. All the people who stopped by to kill a few minutes before dinner only to find, to their pleasant surprise, that they had missed their reservation. The moments when someone discovered a book or author they’d never heard of and suddenly fell in love. That’s the magic of Montclair Book Center.  

It opened in 1984, but it feels older. It feels timeless like Montclair came to life around it, and if it weren’t there, the town would collapse.

I’m sure this is largely my own mythologizing. When I first started seeing my partner, we went to this bookstore. We had one of those days where you walk in expecting to spend fifteen minutes and emerge hours later with arms full of books and an inescapable joy coursing through your veins. It’s a fond memory we revisit every time we walk back inside and feel that excitement well up in us. I always feel like a kid inside those walls. I think of all the possibilities, the thousands of stories that live in that space. There’s a part of me that never wants to leave.

Chelsea Pullano and Ryan Whitaker bought the store a little over a year ago. They’d spent the last few years working for a start-up, knowing it wasn’t the right fit. They felt, as so many of us have over the past few years, that corporate life wasn’t for them. That years spent staring at a screen and working for somebody else wasn’t what they’d envisioned for themselves. So, they decided to make a change.

They didn’t set out with the intention of buying a bookstore. Instead, they had different visions, a café or a bar, some sort of place where people would gather. I can’t help but wonder if, after the terrifying isolation of Covid, this vision was born out of the need to connect with people and become part of a community, something larger than themselves.

Montclair Book Center happened on a whim. After a fruitless search for retail space, Chelsea decided to go rogue and see if any bookstores were for sale in the area. After all, if you’re looking for a place where people can go and get lost and connect, what’s better than a bookstore? And when she heard that her favorite bookstore, a place she’d spent hours wandering, was available, she was sold.

Chelsea had anticipated a hard sell with Ryan, a long process where she convinced him that this store in this town was the right choice. But in the end, all she needed to do was get him there.

“I took one walk through this place,” Ryan says, relaying the story. “And said, ‘This is the idea now.’”

Because that’s all it takes. You walk inside and feel both awed and comforted. You sense a familiarity as if every bookstore you’ve walked into before this one was preparing you to find Montclair Book Center. A common refrain you hear as you walk through the rows of books is, “This place is just so cool.”

As a longtime patron, I can say that Chelsea and Ryan are the exact people—so full of life and spirit—that you hope will take over your favorite bookstore. They aren’t some soulless corporation or, worse, a developer who plans to knock it down and build condos, but people who see the store’s magic and want only to help it thrive for years to come.

They plan to utilize the store for more events—local authors are a particular area of emphasis. They stress the idea of it being a third space, somewhere that isn’t your home or work, where you can come to hang out and feel safe. In our increasingly difficult age, I can’t think of a place I’d rather spend my time than Montclair Book Center, run by Chelsea and Ryan.

“We’re all about community, sincerely, community and culture,” Ryan says. “We need to create spaces where people can come and learn and be seen and heard.”

There’s a crucial importance to a local, independent bookstore in the same way that a movie theater, restaurant, or school has value to a community. The new owners welcome this and are eagerly working to cement their status in Montclair. They’ve had young, aspiring filmmakers come in and shoot in their store, they’ve begun hosting events, promoting charity drives, and you can see this is only the beginning.

I asked them about books that inspired their love of literature, and Chelsea told me about discovering Wuthering Heights in high school and how it awakened something in her. Not only the novel but the way her teacher encouraged her to view and discuss it. You can see a glint in her eye as she envisions their store as a place where others can discover and discuss works that will awaken that same passion in them.

She also mentions being raised in a home with a “beautiful, leather-bound classics set,” which she devoured. I can’t help but wonder if having those at her fingertips influenced the person she’s become and maybe planted the seed to buy this store.

I wander the store for a bit and come across a delightful “banned books” display where they briefly explain why each was banned. It’s typical of the store, full of small corners where you can discover something new that stays with you. The display is also emblematic of the store’s attitude and its new owners. There’s a defiance to them, a rebellious streak that drove them to make this leap. Leaving your corporate job to purchase an iconic bookstore takes courage, and I can see that Chelsea and Ryan are not lacking in that essential trait.

They have a wall downstairs in their newly renovated events space with a few polaroids hanging up of the authors who have held events. It’s a big wall, mostly empty right now, but I am confident they’ll fill it. I can already picture myself down there on a weeknight listening to some local author read from their new novel, and the vision fills me with hope. This is what a bookstore should be. A pillar of the community run by people full of hope and energy. I wish every community could have its version of Chelsea and Ryan running their independent bookstore.

My novel, A Campus on Fire, doesn’t come out until the Spring of 2025, but when it does, I can’t wait to have a reading at my favorite bookstore, Montclair Book Center.

I hope to see you there. It’s located in wonderful downtown Montclair at 221 Glenridge Ave. You can’t miss it, and I promise that once you’ve walked inside, you’ll never want to leave.

Visit their website, www.montclairbookcenter.com, to browse their excellent collection of new and used books. And to keep up to date on their events and other information about the store, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Patrick O’Dowd lives in New Jersey, just up the road from Montclair Book Center, with his partner Cassie and their mischievous cat Toffee. His novel, A Campus on Fire, will be released in the spring of 2025. He’s the fiction editor of Sequoia Speaks Literary Magazine, and you can find his writing at patrickrodowd.com.

Filed Under: Book Bound Tagged With: BookBound, Montclair Book Center, Patrick O'Dowd

Papercuts Bookshop: A Notable Chapter in One Neighborhood’s Literary Story

May 10, 2023 1 Comment

By Beth Castrodale

It’s a weekday and just minutes after opening time at Papercuts Bookshop, but the shop is already bustling with customers. To anyone who’s grown to love the store, as I have, that’s no surprise. Located in the heart of Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood, Papercuts is home to an abundant, thoughtfully curated collection of books.

A children’s nook

But it isn’t just the books that make the store such a draw. It has a warm, inviting ambience and a sweet-natured pup, Sammy, who roams about, pausing now and then to accept a pat or ear scratch from a customer. Also, it’s easy to get drawn into one of the shop’s several cozy nooks and lose track of time as you browse the shelves, immerse yourself in a book that’s caught your attention, or check out one or more of the one-of-a-kind gift items that are arrayed around the store.

But to my mind, what makes Papercuts especially welcoming is the staff. Even on the busy day of my visit, as they worked nonstop to stock books, ring up purchases, and carry out other tasks, the store’s employees were unfailingly friendly, constantly greeting customers and coming to the aid of those with questions. 

Sammy

Fostering this warm environment is Kate Layte, who founded Papercuts in 2014. Despite being as busy as every other staff member during my visit, she took time to speak with me about the store as she went about her work. Among other things, we talked about how the store has forged a strong connection to the community by serving as a hub for all manner of book lovers. “What other job would let you connect to people of all ages?” Layte observed.

She also noted that Papercuts has become part of Boston’s – and, more specifically, Jamaica Plain’s – long and storied literary history. Less than two miles away is Forest Hills Cemetery, where several notable writers, including poets Anne Sexton and e.e. cummings, are buried. Also, the first home that Sylvia Plath knew is just a half mile from the store. That connection to local writers continues to this day. As a Jamaica Plain-based author, I’m grateful that Papercuts stocks books by local writers and that the store has featured both Boston-area and national writers in store-sponsored events.

Papercuts has also made a significant effort to feature books that shed a more inclusive light on local history and other subjects. During my visit, Layte pointed out one such book, Black Walden, which explores the lives of formerly enslaved people who made lives for themselves in Walden Woods, a place that for many people, calls to mind only Henry David Thoreau and the book he’s most known for.

Like many other Boston-area booklovers, I was delighted when, in early 2020, Papercuts moved from its original location in Jamaica Plain, which was just 400 square feet, to a much larger space in the neighborhood. But Papercuts soon faced a major setback when, in March 2020, Covid forced the business to close for a period. By April, the store was in dire enough financial straits that it was at risk of ceasing operations. But Layte was determined to keep it going. Looking back on that time, she said, “I just wasn’t going to give up.”

She set up a GoFundMe campaign for Papercuts, and in just two weeks it raised more than $55,000, which was used to pay vendors, rent, utilities, and other expenses. “Everyone just stepped up,” Layte said. “I was so floored.”

A tire mark testament to Papercut’s resilience

But Covid wasn’t the only big challenge that Papercuts has had to face. In April 2022, two cars crashed into the front of the store, shattering windows, destroying books, and causing structural damage that, fortunately, wasn’t severe. Thankfully, because the store was empty at the time of the crash, no one sustained any injuries, and Papercuts was able to reopen not long after the incident. Today, a tire mark from one of the cars remains etched into the floor, serving both as a reminder of the crash and a testament to the store’s resilience.

Susan Hardy Brown

Another testament to the store’s resilience is how busy it is on any given day, including the day I stopped by. During my visit, I had the pleasure of speaking to one of the many customers: Susan Hardy Brown, a visual artist and longtime resident of Jamaica Plain. She is also a longtime fan of Papercuts. “I have told Kate that it was the best thing to happen to JP since I’ve been here,” Brown said. “Especially now that she’s in the bigger space she can indulge herself in curating this amazing collection of books, and her passion just spills over to everything, not just the books. There seems to be something for everyone.” (Notably, Brown is more than just a devoted customer of Papercuts. For a time, she helped out at the store’s previous location, and some of her art has been featured at the business.)

The passion that Brown described is evident in every aspect of Papercuts. As for the experience of running the store, Layte said, “I wouldn’t trade it.”

Beth Castrodale is the award-winning author of three novels: Marion Hatley, In This Ground, and I Mean You No Harm. Her latest novel, The Inhabitants, will be released by Regal House Publishing in fall 2024.

Filed Under: Book Bound, Regal House Titles Tagged With: Beth Castrodale, Papercuts Bookstore

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