Student Work

Library Express: Turning the Page from Bookselling to Public Service 

Library Express: Turning the Page from Bookselling to Public Service 

In Jorge Carrión’s “Bookshops,” Carrión suggests there exists a strong difference between the bookshop and the library. The bookshop is characterized as a temporary yet progressive seller of books, one who deals with a light inventory and exists to move material to work out a limited existence. On the other hand, the library is much more permanent, an extension of “the powers-that-be” stuck “looking towards the past” (40). The library is a place where the hectic movement of ideas ceases and enters a preservation or sanctuary. Thanks to its ties to the government and its power, the library’s existence will always be ensured. This is perhaps to the detriment of bookstores, for Carrión suggests that the library is so powerful it even “erase[s]” the booksellers that nurtured its collection of books (37).   

Putting aside complaints about how Carrión takes the library for granted, there’s a fundamental flaw in his framework. If the library and the bookstore are such incompatible opposites, a combination of the two would prove that the bookstore and library are not so rigid in their constructs. Perhaps the bookstore does not have to be temporary or forgotten, constantly struggling for its own existence. Perhaps the library is not the place where knowledge comes to rest, stuck permanently looking at the past. Perhaps the two can coexist in a powerful, mutually beneficial service model that furthers their combined goals. 

It should be obvious what we’re hinting at: this paradoxical fusion already exists. We’re looking at Library Express, a one-stop bookshop/library hybrid in the Pennsylvania Rust Belt that functions as a small-scale commercial offshoot of the Scranton library network. 

Library Express challenges our fundamental understanding of both the library and the bookstore. How can a place attempting to sell books lend them away for free? How can the end-stop for knowledge traffic its wares for survival? How can a public service become a business? Yet, in its opposing existence, Library Express redefines both and offers a possible path towards a middle ground. 

A map of the area surrounding Library Express showing the various stores and historical sites in industrial Scranton.

Located in the center of downtown Scranton, Library Express’s dual purpose as a bookstore/library hybrid serves its working-class community well. In this neighborhood, about 35% of household incomes are less than $15K a year. It allows people of all demographics to find what they’re looking for, whether they’re looking to buy a bestseller or borrow a book that interests them. The variety of purchasing and lending options at Library Express similarly reflects this urge to cater to those from different economic backgrounds who might have less of a disposable income. There are options to have a book mailed to your home for those unable to travel and online options for in-store pickup. Having these different options allows people of modest economic backgrounds to use the bookstore in the way that feels most comfortable to them. 

Another unique thing about Library Express is its location in Scranton’s local mall, the Marketplace at Steamtown. A mall is usually the place for big chain stores like Barnes and Noble, but Library Express anchors itself there just as well as these larger stores.  

As a mall, the Marketplace reflects a sense of business and constant activity. However, in 2016, the Marketplace at Steamtown was rebranded as a community center with an emphasis on providing community resources and supporting the local economy, both of which directly align with Library Express’s goals. 

Library Express is found on the second floor of the mall, a place where many of the neighboring stores are locally owned small businesses that you can’t find anywhere else. For example, Library Express’s direct neighbor is Dress for Success, a second-hand clothing store that specializes in providing professional clothing in addition to career services for women hoping to enter or reenter the workforce. The mall also hosts several businesses that support and provide opportunities for creators in the community, like Phyl Your Bags, a co-op of local artisans, and What the Wick, which sells homemade candles (see the complete directory here). Both of these businesses are examples of the value Scranton places on support for local entrepreneurs in its working-class environment. On the first floor of the mall, there’s even a branch of the Luzerne County Community College, which adds an atmosphere of learning and accessibility to the mall. 

Laura J. Miller’s Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption describes how the right kind of businesses are “nourished by their vital connections to a locality” and that they can “rise above the profit considerations to provide community service as well as customer service” (122). This is exactly what Library Express Bookstore does; it provides a much-needed public space where one might wander through the shelves of books, free from commercial obligation but confident that any money spent will directly benefit the Lackawanna County Library System. The way Library Express is designed makes you feel like an insider in the community, even if you’re only stopping in for a brief visit. 

In “The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design,” Lyndsie Manusos meditates on “how a bookstore should ‘reflect the style and traditions of its surroundings’” when forming its culture, design, and function within its community. In this manner, Library Express shows the influence of traditional mall shopping culture and organization, presenting its wares in straight, orderly lines and small, contained U-shapes of similarly coded books: classics and classic-adjacents, adult and YA, nonfiction and special interest, etc. Library Express seems to mirror the days when bookstores operated on practical commercial business models, though the store also provides a crucial emphasis on community care and engagement through its creative features and dual nature as a bookstore and public library. 

Library Express exudes the same straightforward, entrepreneurial atmosphere that characterizes the rest of Scranton. You quickly recognize where to find the books you’re interested in, and while the layout encourages browsing and free movement, it’s perfectly suited to stopping in after work to pick up a new volume or borrow a book you’ve checked the availability of at the Lackawanna County Library System’s website lclshome.org. In this vein, the store “buys into” that consumer culture, meeting the needs of its working-class customers while still operating as a business. 

Library Express’s floor design and allocation of space also show its desire to put their customers’ needs first. In Reluctant Capitalists, Miller argues that “aside from any personal attachment to a locale, the [book]store proprietor knows that the fate of her entire business is tied to the future of that community” (226). In other words, booksellers are invested in their community’s well-being and must cater to their customers’ interests and values to stay afloat. Library Express does this by prioritizing certain genres or categories over others. For example, the cheapest books are the first things customers from the lower-income community of Downtown Scranton interact with, through book carts positioned outside the storefront. These carts convey a homey, casual atmosphere and a low-stakes first impression that invites people in because they know they can spend as much or as little as they want to once, they enter the space. 

In terms of relative section size, Library Express’s ‘mainstream’ definition of literature is also indicative of its working-class climate in its stocking of mostly popular books that appeal to a broad section of the population, with less of an emphasis on highbrow intellectualism (though they still do carry a large collection of loosely defined classics). 

A floorplan of Library Express showing the store’s commitment to community through its design. Color key: library spaces (purple), non-book items for sale (orange), books for sale (green).

The library collection of the hybrid bookstore is smaller than its neighbor the merch section, constituting less than a quarter of the store’s floor space. Despite this, it contains a huge assortment of large print texts and hundreds of DVDs that library card holders can borrow and enjoy for a quiet evening’s entertainment without having to spend hard-earned money. Given that approximately 33% of the population in downtown Scranton is 65 years or older (Claritas), this specialized selection of large print titles is a testament to Library Express’s dedication to serving all groups in the community, no matter their age group or socioeconomic background. It’s a place where anyone can go enjoy literature and library programming together, which lines up with the store’s emphasis on community engagement and activities. 

By prioritizing its customers, Library Express brings a lot of life to the Marketplace at Steamtown with its colorful arrays, creative art displays, and emphasis on community involvement. It’s committed to positively impacting anyone who enters the store through its library resources and bookstore design and has been doing so ever since its introduction in 2012. 

A timeline of important community events during Library Express’s history, from the origin of the store until the present.

The way that Library Express has formed a community is one that requires interaction from the consumers as well, though the initial formation of smaller communities is done by the store itself. For example, while there have been many diverse events hosted in the bookstore itself, the longest running have been the monthly book signings and readings. These began just 17 days after the store’s opening on January 11, 2012, with the signing of Nancy McDonald’s book If You Can Play Scranton. Since then, Library Express has hosted dozens of book signings, which often support the work of local writers. This tradition groups people of all ages in one place to give them a common interest and purpose with others. Library Express is perfect for such events because of how it serves the needs of an economically and generationally diverse community, especially since the initial goal of all libraries is to bring people together and strengthen bonds between different groups.  

Other events are targeted towards more specific audiences, however. For example, community events include Teen Tuesdays, Seasoned Citizen Movie Matinees, children’s craft times, and specialized interest groups that meet in the back of the store. In Place, a Short Introduction by Tim Cresswell, places are defined both as “spaces which people have made meaningful” and “spaces people are attached to” (7), which soundly resonates with the groups in Library Express. Most of the recurring events have lasted for years, like the Open Mic Nights (since 2017) and the Seasoned Citizen Movie Matinees (since 2018). The smaller groups at these events form a community, and each group creates their own individual meaning in Library Express’s event space based on the types of programming targeted for them. Being with a group of like-minded people with similar interests creates relationships, both between the people at such events and the places they’re hosted in.  

As a library/bookstore hybrid, it’s clear that the patrons and proprietors of the store truly care for books and their importance in the world. In his article, “Bookstores, Communist and Capitalist,” Jack Perry laments that bookstores haven’t been as mindful of this feeling in recent years: “No one in these places seems to love books, or even like them, except as money makers” (109). While this quote might apply to some other bookstores, it doesn’t apply to Library Express. The bookstore/library hybrid’s position as a nonprofit gives it a unique ability to counteract those tones and promote good literature without the pall of making a profit hanging over their business model. Library Express has adapted many times over the years to create deeper connections with people in the area and bridge the gap between bookselling and public service.  

The function of Library Express is to serve the community, which they have done by creating meaning and community in a single place for the last decade. By combining the ethos of business with a legitimate need and drive to serve the community, Library Express has proven that it can survive the turbulence that shutters many other small businesses, and more impressively, does so as a hybrid bookstore in the working-class Rust Belt. It’s proof that Carrión might be wrong—the Library and the Bookstore do not have to be separate. When their goals of nurturing their community align, they can quite literally work as one to reap great success.  

Thus, Library Express exists as a collection of opposites; the store emulates traditional consumer culture as more of a transactional retailer than an intellectual gatekeeper, but its design and curation still showcases its community-centric organization through the genres it prioritizes and its creative features. These features are perfectly aligned with creating a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere for Scranton’s working-class community, which has contributed significantly to the formation of relationships and community in Scranton. 

The authors of this post pictured in front of Library Express’s 2023 Halloween display: (left to right) Brooke Nelson, Amelia Alexander, Janina Reynolds, and Gavin Knouse.

Citations

Texts

Carrión, Jorge. Bookshops: A Reader’s History. Translated by Peter Bush, Biblioasis, 2017, pp. 37-40. 

Cresswell, Tim. Place: A Short Introduction. Blackwell, 2011.    

“Library Express Calendar.” Lackawanna County Library System, lclshome.org/library-express-calendar/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023. 

Manusos, Lyndsie. “The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design.” BOOK RIOT, 22 Feb. 2022, bookriot.com/the-science-and-recent-history-of-bookstore-design/. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023. 

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption. University of Chicago Press, 2007. pp. 122-226.

Perry, Jack. “Bibliophilia: Bookstores, Communist and Capitalist.” The American Scholar, vol. 55, no. 1, 1986, pp. 107–11. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41211294. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023. 

Images

All photos of Library Express taken by Amelia Alexander, Brooke Nelson, and Janina Reynolds on October 28, 2023 at Library Express Bookstore, Scranton, PA. 

“Calendar of Events October 2023” from https://lclshome.org/b/library-express/. Accessed October 2023.

Graphics and Statistics

Floorplan drawn by Amelia Alexander in October 2023; floorplan annotations added using https://www.thinglink.com/. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023. 

Google Map created by Janina Reynolds using https://mymaps.google.com/. Accessed 13 Dec. 2023. 

Households by Income. Claritas, https://claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/#zipLookup. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023. 

Population by Age. Claritas, https://claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/#zipLookup. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023. 

Scranton, PA. Data USA. (n.d.). https://datausa.io/profile/geo/scranton-pa#demographics Accessed 1 Dec. 2023. 

Timeline created by Brooke Nelson using Free Online Timeline Maker, https://time.graphics/. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023. 

Harriett’s Bookshop: Literature is a Protest

Harriett’s Bookshop: Literature as a Protest 

Harriett’s Bookshop: Literature as a Protest 

Harriett’s Bookshop Entrance w/Jeannine Cook in front

The Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia is full of contrast – numerous historic placards, endless rows of ancient brick townhouses, overpriced vegan grocery stores, and quaint little bookshops. One bookshop in particular stands out, nestled at 258 E. Girard Avenue. From the violin music that trickles out the store’s propped doors to the smell of incense and warm oranges wafting on the breeze — it’s hard to miss Harriett’s Bookshop.   

Harriett’s Bookshop is not a simple store. Harriett’s is a carefully curated journey through Black women’s literature, culture, and art from the past, present, and future.   

Upon walking inside, one can see the shop’s namesake — Harriet Tubman — sitting proudly behind the desk counter as if she owns the place herself. Quotes from famous Black women and men — Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, Nikole Hannah-Jones — are painted and two-dimensionally framed on the walls, as if to say, “Here, you will take these words as the art that they are.” It is important to keep in mind the social and cultural weight of centering Black voices. The collection of books within Harriett’s “seems to be seeing through them into their distant past as though inspired (Buzbee, 61),” by the compelling history of the marginalization of Black women, drawing these histories out of the objects themselves by their careful placements and orderings. Many authors are local writers of color and local women, for whom of which Harriett’s is dedicated to the preservation of their identities in the literary sphere.  

Jeannine Cook, owner and curator of Harriett’s, has been working to preserve Black women’s voices in the literary canon since the beginning — even before the store opened its doors in February 2020. 

From Educator to Entrepreneur

As a consultant and teacher, Cook has brought musicians, artists, and writers to classrooms, developing anti-racism curriculums. Her commitment to the Black community, education, activism, and art is mirrored within her passion for Harriett’s — not unlike the passionate Black booksellers of the mid-20th century. Most of these early entrepreneurs, according to Joshua Clark Davis in Liberation Through Literacy, “had extensive backgrounds in leftist and black nationalist politics or were teachers or writers or bibliophiles (38).” Cook is no different.  

Jeannine w/her sister in founding foremothers T-shirts (2021)

Although Harriett’s was not Cook’s debut in the bookselling sphere, it is certainly her most notable. Upon leasing the store, she aimed for it to create dialogue about community and global issues, as well as housing the celebration of women artists, activists, and writers. She describes the “foundational texts” of the store as being those of Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Octavia Butler. In fact, Harriett’s first T-shirts were just a simple list of those authors’ first names.   

Harriett’s grand opening was akin to an art gallery, with iconic Black-women-authored books displayed in the storefront, featuring Laureate Trapeta B. Mayson, a renowned Philadelphia poet. Afterwards, people considered the store to be a hangout spot, safe space, and sanctuary in a town often seen as violently exclusive.  

Black Bookstore, White Town

Six weeks after opening, COVID-19 shut down the U.S. economy. Cook was devastated as the brick-and-mortar store had to close. Still, Harriett’s stayed alive online and on the streets. With the help of “Dr. Gina” South, an ER doctor at Pennsylvania Hospital — and Cook’s dedication to activism — Harriet’s launched the “Essentials for Essentials” initiative in the spring of 2020. Community members could buy books for and send thank-you note “prescriptions” to essential workers. Hundreds of books were hand-delivered to local hospitals, and the initial inventory sold out within a single hour. Cook also set up a grab-and-go shop on the sidewalk, relying on the honor’s system to gain revenue. In an interview with Travel + Leisure, Cook stated, “I broke a lot of furniture. I got rained on. But people need books more than ever at that point (Poitevien, 2022).”  

Despite the town’s hipster rise, Fishtown isn’t exactly ideal for a bookshop like Harriett’s. Despite Philadelphia being a cultural melting pot, Fishtown itself has minimal diversity with a 78.1% white population as of 2020. Black or African Americans only make up 5.9% of Fishtown’s 23,000 residents. With Fishtown covering only 1.57 square miles of space (including water area), the town is effectively bursting at the seams (US Zip Codes, 2020). 

Additionally, due to low-income and high population density in the area, crime statistics are extremely high, which Harriett’s has been made more than aware of. But the intention of founding the bookstore in such conditions has been a stand towards fighting back.   

Following the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, paid interns at Harriett’s — referred to as “youth conductors” — assembled signs that said, ”I CAN’T BREATHE.” These were the last words of Eric Garner, a Black man killed by police. Then, after an anonymous donation of books, Cook and fellow staff from Harriett’s took to the streets. They showed up to protests, wielding the power of literature and giving away books — such as The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Brown — for free to protestors and those passing by the store. Harriett’s also received a swell of orders for anti-racist works, including How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi. On June 6th, 2020, a video of Cook giving away books went viral on their Instagram, and she responded with a post a few days later thanking the 30,000 new followers they had gained.  

In the spring of 2020, starting in Minneapolis, Cook travelled to several big BLM protests, donating more than 1,200 inspirational and instructive books to organizers and activists. Cook even did this in front of Philadelphia’s City Hall, where she was nearly shot by a police sniper. The bookstore itself has suffered violence, too: protests following the killing of Walter Wallace Jr., a 27-year-old Black man, in West Philadelphia made Harriett’s a target. Neighboring stores’ windows were shattered. Harriett’s received death threats and rape threats via email. People spewed racist and derogatory words. White men outside the shop, who proclaimed themselves “protectors” of police, wielded baseball bats and tore apart BLM banners.  

Knowing full well the risks of opening a black-owned bookshop in an area like Fishtown, Cook claims that she felt they opened the bookshop here for a reason. Just as Toni Morrison says on the value of myths, songs, and stories, “I regard my responsibilities as a Black writer as someone who must bear witness, someone who must record. But I want to make sure that a little piece of the world I knew, a little piece that I knew, doesn’t get forgotten (Hautzinger, 2019).” Cook exemplifies this well, not only in her own literature, but in her social media presence. Cook has several posts showcasing all she’s achieved as an activist, as a bookseller, and as an independent black female business owner.  

BLM Protest: Taking a Stand (Harriett’s Bookshop Instagram, 2020)

Through everything, Cook exclaims that books have been a way to protest racism and fight for Black activism. Despite the neighborhood being majority-white, some residents have been “hella supportive.” “When I went over to Minneapolis for the day to pay respects to George Floyd, there was a woman standing out in front of the bookshop just so that nobody would mess with it (Bienasz, 2020),” she said in an interview with Inc.com.  

Despite the violence and oppression against minorities, Cook hasn’t been discouraged by Fishtown’s flaws. In places like Harriett’s, the owners “strive for a design mixing leisure with excitement, casual warmth with soft elegance, high-brow culture with worn-shoe comfort, and serious study with simple fun (Miller, 92).” 

A Sanctuary of Arts and Culture

In addition to being a haven, the bookshop has become a vibrant cultural hub within the Fishtown neighborhood. The space transcends the traditional confines of a bookstore, transforming itself into a dynamic stage for a diverse array of events, performances, and art exhibitions. Their commitment to fostering community engagement is thus evident through a rich tapestry of cultural activities. 

By seamlessly weaving together the realms of literature and performance arts, Harriett’s offers a platform for locals to showcase their talents. The bookstore’s stage has witnessed a myriad of performances, from poetry readings to live music, creating an intimate and immersive experience for attendees. Musicians fill the air with melodies, creating a harmonious backdrop that complements the literary ambiance. The rhythmic cadence of spoken word performances, the soulful tunes of jazz, and the vibrant energy of live bands all contribute to the unique atmosphere that Harriett’s cultivates. Beyond this, the reading garden in the back of the store provides space for patrons and neighbors to enjoy literature, encouraging reading above retail and sales. This integration of literature and performance art not only enhances the cultural richness of the space but also reinforces the interconnectedness of various artistic expressions.​ 

Photos showcasing events at Harriett’s like live music, book signings, candlelight readings, and more! (Harriett’s Bookshop Instagram)

The design of the space itself is critical for the artistic ambiance as well. The openness of the floorplan, and the shop’s constant physical rotations, keep the shop new and fresh for readings, musical events, book signings, book club meetings, dances, and even mimosa nights. The shelving and organization are changed monthly, so one can experience the store anew. Several light, white cubes and tables change in location, number, and size based on which book is currently “on exhibit.” Cook creates these exhibits in tandem with the authors, an excellent example being their recent promotion of The1619 Project, a long-form journalistic book written by Nikole Hannah-Jones. Hannah-Jones visited the shop many times during the promotion of her book, ultimately forming a relationship with Cook; a “sisterhood.”  

Harriett’s challenges and scorns the idea that “the ‘beauty’ of much Non-Western ‘art’ is a recent discovery (Clifford, 227),” and calls marginalized works of past and present into the foreground of the definitions of literature and culture. When books like The1619 Project are featured, they consume the store, showing up repeatedly or taking up entire cubicle walls as if to chant the title of the book again and again. This contrasts to the classic “books in piles on the floor” aesthetic that one might expect from an indie bookstore, replacing it with deep reverence, a sort of holy space for books to be appreciated, worshipped, and enacted. Harriett’s creates here “the most profound enchantment for the collector…the locking of individual items within a magic circle in which they are fixed (Buzbee, 60),” as the books are held up as pieces of a mosaic tiled art piece, each book coming together to tell a remarkable story.​ 

Harriett’s even implements Cook’s background as an educator, extending the store’s community towards the youth. The children’s section of Harriett’s is given a large, roomy area with low chairs and a schoolhouse-themed painting on the walls. Unlike the other rotating shelves, this area is consistent, always featuring children’s books about black women and children. Where the main body of the store feels like a gallery, this space feels warm, small, more cluttered, like a children’s play space. Mantras are repeated on the walls and titles of the books: “Black is beautiful,” “the world is yours,” “Black girl magic.” This area is made to welcome children, to provide a place full of literature designed for them. In the picture book that Cook published, “Harriett’s Bookshop”, children are reminded of all these things and more, depicting Harriett’s as a place full of literature designed for them.  

Near the reading garden and the children’s section, there is a door leading to the basement of the store — what Cook calls The Underground.  

Harriett’s as a Reparative Space 

In the Underground, the lights are dim, and patrons are encouraged to use candles to traverse the bookshelves, paying homage to those Black readers of the past who had to hide in order to read. And yet, there is contrast since the basement feels like a neon night club, something Harriett’s takes advantage of with their fun and funky Book “Clubs” hosted in the basement’s moody neon lighting. Music and lightly boozy refreshments enliven the scene. At the bottom of the stairs is a shrine dedicated to Tubman, affirmations in neon light, candles lit and unlit.  

Along the walls are highly specified, unlabeled categories of gently used books. Books shelved in the Underground are grouped in overly specified sections such as: Black magical realism, memoirs about being Black and Queer, books about the Underground Railroad, Star Trek, slice-of-life fiction set post-Civil War, the Harlem Renaissance, women in politics, and more. The refusal to level these niches, using the underground railroad in the name of the space, and the shrines dedicated to fallen Black brethren all pay homage to Black culture. The Underground offers itself to patrons with a wink and a nod, an “I know, you know” mentality that Harriett’s seems to embrace through Cook’s intense and stylized curation.  

Picture of Harriett’s “Underground”, dark and neon lit (Harriett’s Bookshop Instagram, 2023)

Overall, it is easy to see why Cook’s vision for the bookstore was in part to honor the courageous Harriet Tubman, a historical figure Cook believes doesn’t get enough recognition. In the nineteenth century, Tubman escaped from slavery in the American South to become an abolitionist. Over the course of the next decade, she led about 70 enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. She has gone down in history as a Black Woman known for her persistence, courage, and discipline.  

In July 2021, Cook started a virtual congressional petition to make Harriett Tubman Day (March 10th, the anniversary of Tubman’s death) a federal holiday. Thanks to Cook’s petitioning efforts, it is now an official state holiday in Pennsylvania. In 2022, the Harriett Tubman Day Act went up for consideration by the U.S. Congress, although no vote was scheduled.  

In February 2022, Harriett’s monthly theme was “reparations,” echoing the bookshop’s core themes of Black discussion and activism. The staff launched the Sisterhood Sit-In Trolley Tour, a two-hour tour through Philadelphia’s Black-women-owned businesses. And yet, perhaps the most notable decision on Cook’s part was to take a vow of silence every day of that month from sunup to sundown. It was an effort to oppose the commercialization of Black History Month: to take a step back, to listen, and to acknowledge the atrocities that Black people have faced, then and now.   

It holds true that the independent bookstore “has the power to produce and preserve idealized visions of local experience—to be a living archive and to act as a hub in social, literary, and cultural networks; to be, in short, a physical landmark of and for local community (Highland, 243).” Harriett’s is a master of this “local experience.” The bookshop and its founder persist in the face of adversity, embodying the resilience inherent in the stories they champion. It all becomes a crucial part of the narrative woven into the cultural fabric of Fishtown—a narrative that emphasizes the importance of challenging norms, fostering inclusivity, and creating spaces that resist erasure.  

Harriett’s Bookshop is a space to give honor, artistic worth, and deep reverence to the works of women of color. Whether it be an art gallery, a smoky club, or a cozy schoolroom, the store embodies the environments that Black women are marginalized in and uplifts them, centers them. Cook has made this honoring of Black art and Black lives her life’s work, and her bookshop carries on its back the intense history of a movement towards Black literature’s value and respect.  

Harriett’s demonstrates the idea that “inheritance is the soundest way of acquiring a collection (Benjamin 66),” as it attempts to collect the long and star-studded history of the cultures it honors. Cook’s highly developed curation displays that “the most distinguished trait of a collection will always be its transmissibility (Benjamin, 6),” its ability to continue with a momentum that transcends the simple structure of the bookshop it inhabits. 

Authors of this Article

Grey Weatherford-Brown

Bedelya McCann

Abigail Pursh

Kelly Hogan

Julia Cerrato

Sources

Texts

Benjamin, Walter. Illuminations : Essays and Reflections. Boston ; New York, Mariner Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019.

Buzbee, Lewis. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop. ReadHowYouWant.com, 19 Oct. 2010.

Clifford, James. The Predicament of Culture : Twentieth-Century Ethnography, Literature, and Art. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1988.

Davis, Joshua C. “Liberation Through Literacy: African American Bookstores, Black Power, and the Mainstreaming of Black Books.” From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise of Activist Entrepreneurs, Edited by Devin Fergus, Lewis Hyman, Bethany Moreton, and Julia Ott. Columbia University Press, pp. 35-82, https://susqu.instructure.com/courses/4398/files/457836/download?download_frd=1.

Highland, Kristen D. “The Houses of Appleton and Book Cultures in Antebellum New York City.” In the Bookstore, vol. 19, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 2016, pp. 214–255, https://muse.jhu.edu/article/645859. Accessed 2023.

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2014.

Pyne, Lydia. Bookshelf. Bloomsbury Academic, 2019.

Websites

“Black History Milestones: Timeline.” History.com, A&E Television Networks LLC, 11 May 2023, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-milestones.

“Black Lives Matter: a timeline of the movement.” Cosmopolitan, Hearst UK, 21 April 2021, https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/reports/a32728194/black-lives-matter-timeline-movement/.

Beck, Tom. “Historians, Community Advocates Fret over the Future of Former Penn Home Building in Fishtown.” Star News, 14 Oct. 2020, starnewsphilly.com/2020/10/13/historians-community-advocates-fret-over-the-future-of-former-penn-home-building-in-fishtown/.

Bienasz, Gabrielle. “She Founded a Black Bookstore in a White Neighborhood. Then … – Inc.Com.” Inc., 9 June 2020, www.inc.com/gabrielle-bienasz-changing-the-world-through-books.html.

Butler, Michael. “Harriett’s Bookshop Owner Jeannine Cook Uses Resilience to Write Her Own Story.” Technical.Ly, Technically Media, 16 Aug. 2023, technical.ly/diversity-equity-inclusion/harriets-bookshop-jeannine-cook/.

Chow, Andrew R., and Annabel Gutterman. “How Coronavirus Is Affecting Independent Bookstores.” Time, Time, 22 Apr. 2020, time.com/5822767/coronavirus-bookstores-amazon/. 

Cook, Jeannine. “A Home for Harriett’s Bookshop.” GoFundMe, 2023, https://www.gofundme.com/f/harriettsbookshop. 

Cook, Jeannine. “We need a federal holiday to honor Harriett Tubman.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, 20 May 2022, https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/hariet-tubman-day-congress-federal-holiday-20220520.html.

Gray, Kylie. “Drexel MFA Student Opens Harriett’s Bookshop in Fishtown.” College of Arts and Sciences, 3 Feb. 2020, drexel.edu/coas/news-events/news/2020/February/drexel-mfa-student-opens-harrietts-bookshop-in-fishtown/. 

Harriett’s Bookshop, bookshop.org/shop/harriettsbookshop. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

“Harriett’s Bookshop Seeking Permanent Home in Fishtown.” PhillyVoice, 3 May 2021, www.phillyvoice.com/harriets-bookshop-fishtown-philadelphia-gofundme-jeannine-cook/.

“Jeannine Cook of Harriet’s Bookshop on Owning Our Own Spaces.” YouTube, YouTube, 29 Dec. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=arWwie7TLz8&t=142s.

“Prizm® Premier.” Claritas, claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/#zipLookup. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

“Harriet Tubman.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Sept. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harriet-Tubman.

McCutcheon, Lauren. “Generation Change Philly: The Literary Activist.” The Philadelphia Citizen, 19 May 2022, https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/jeannine-cook-philly/.

Moody, Eric. “This Philly bookstore owner found a different way to protest.” 6abc, ABC, Inc., 10 June 2020, https://6abc.com/jeannine-a-cooks-bookshop-owner-donate-s-free-books-during-protest/6240981/.

“Parents of Walter Wallace Jr. demand justice and police reform in Philadelphia.” 6abc, ABC, Inc., 7 May 2021, https://6abc.com/walter-wallace-jr-shooting-philadelphia-police-police-involved-west-philly-protest/10594187/.

Poitevien, Jessica. “This Philadelphia Bookstore Honors Harriet Tubman’s Legacy With Literature, Art, and Activism.” Travel + Leisure, Fact checked by Jillian Dara, Travel + Leisure Co., 20 Oct. 2022, https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/harrietts-bookshop-philadelphia.

Rebolini, Arianna. “Harriett’s Bookshop Owner Jeannine Cook Says Connection Is at the Root of Everything.” Oprah Daily, Oprah Daily LLC, 28 Feb. 2022, https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a39186848/jeannine-cook-harrietts-bookshop/.

Samuel, Ruth E. “Bookstore named after Harriet Tubman celebrates women authors, artists and activists.” Today, NBC Universal, 12 April 2021, https://www.today.com/money/philadelphia-s-harriett-s-bookshop-celebrates-women-color-authors-t214023.

“Speculation Time: A Forever Home for Harriett’s Bookshop.” OCF Realty, 19 June 2023, www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/fishtown/speculation-time-a-forever-home-for-harrietts-bookshop/.

“Spotlight on Harriett’s Bookshop: Penguin Random House.” PenguinRandomhouse.Com, Penguin Random House, www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/harrietts-bookstore/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

“We Are the American Heartbreak: Langston Hughes on Race in a Rare Recording.” The Marginalian, 23 Sept. 2016, www.themarginalian.org/2016/09/23/american-heartbreak-langston-hughes-reads/.

Wink, Christopher. “Visit Two-Dozen Indie Bookshops during the Inaugural Philly Bookstore Crawl.” Technical.Ly, Technically Media, 16 Aug. 2023, technical.ly/civic-news/philly-bookstore-crawl/.

US Zip Codes. “ZIP Code 19125 Map, Demographics, More for Philadelphia, PA.” United States Zip Codes, 2020, www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/19125/.

Media

Harriett’s bookshop Instagram. “Sisterhood Sit-In Protest.” Instagram, 13 Oct. 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CGSaPazDegr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA.

Harriett’s Bookshop on Instagram. “A Silent Candlelight Tour in the Underground.” Instagram, 30 Dec. 2021, www.instagram.com/p/CYIdi0ODkMy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.

Harriett’s bookshop on Instagram. “Black Lives Matter Protest: Taking a Stand.” Instagram, 27 May 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CAsUJj4jz63/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA.

Harriett’s bookshop on Instagram. “Harriet Tubman Inspired Musical Rendition and Painting.” Instagram, 18 Oct. 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CGfqe6rDDgA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link.

Harriett’s Bookshop on Instagram. “Jeannine Cook and Her Sister Wearing Founding Foremothers T-Shirts.” Instagram, 1 July 2021, www.instagram.com/p/CQyvIBHD3qZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA.

Harriett’s Bookshop on Instagram. “Nikkolas Smith Book Signing for Born on the Water.” Instagram, 18 Nov. 2021, www.instagram.com/p/CWbMPI4pO0B/.

Harriett’s bookshop on Instagram. “Unity Community Center Dancing.” Instagram, 5 Jan. 2022, www.instagram.com/p/CYWQ_7IjV21/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA.

Harriett’s bookshop on Instagram. “‘We Have to Believe in Things That Seem Impossible.’ behind the Scenes Footage (and Audio) from Our Visit with @nikolehannahjones for The 1619 Project Exhibition.” Instagram, 24 May 2022, www.instagram.com/p/Cd8JCxpDHiy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA.

Harriett’s Bookshop [@harrietts_bookshop]. Jeannine Cook in front of Harriett’s Storefront. Instagram, 2 Feb. 2023, https://www.instagram.com/p/B8EfHC7jJmj/.

Hautzinger, Daniel. “From the Archive: Toni Morrison.” WTTW Chicago, 18 Feb. 2019, interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2018/03/13/archive-toni-morrison.

Weatherford-Brown, Grey. Photograph of Harriett’s Interior. 18 Nov. 2023.

Other

McCann, Bedelya. “Harriett’s Bookshop Floor Plan.” ThingLink, Nov. 2023, www.thinglink.com/card/1776303159413572452.

Pursh, Abigail. “Harriett’s and Relevant World Events Timeline.” Time Graphics, 2023, time.graphics/.

Pursh, Abigail. “Harriett’s Bookshop Map.” Google Maps, Google, 24 Oct. 2023, www.google.com/maps.

Black, Feminist, & Bookish: How a Brooklyn Bookshop Brews an Intersectional Community

Black, Feminist, & Bookish: How a Brooklyn Bookshop Brews an Intersectional Community

By: Janelle Cass, Megan DeAngelo, Jennifer Martin, Ellie Pasquale, and Annie Villamarin

Café Con Libros in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, catches the interest of the busy New York City public through the scent of rich coffee and pastries, as well as a colorful window display. Owner Kalima DeSuze curates a collection of literature that uplifts and empowers women’s voices from intersectional identities. As an Afro-Latinx woman, she is dedicated to sharing stories that reflect the intersectionality of the modern feminist movement. 

The interior of Cafe Con Libros. Image from @cafeconlibros_bk

The emphasis on celebration and love is strong behind the doors of this intimate bookstore, where book clubs are held for titles written by or for feminists and women of color.

Its warm and cozy atmosphere is inviting and contagious, welcoming intersectionality and community into its quaint but open space. The creation of this bookshop has a story that may not be written in novel form, but it is shown through its location’s past, its efforts in the present to make feminist books more accessible, and all the possibilities it inspires for the future book-loving community.  

Grounds for Resistance: The History of Crown Heights

Café Con Libros of Crown Heights, Brooklyn was founded in 2017 by social activist, new mother, teacher, and Afro-Latinx woman, Kalima Desuze. The location of Café con Libros was not chosen by chance but through DeSuze’s deep history with the area. She had been a resident of the area for most of her life, living with her Panamanian immigrant parents (Giwa). The actual building of Café con Libros was owned by a relative, Linda DeSuze, dating back to 1985, so it seemed only right to start this passion project in a community she had grown up in, where she knew what kind of bookstore it needed (NYC Dept.).

The population of Afro-Caribbean and Jewish families began long before DeSuze’s parents arrived, even before they were born. The settlement of the region began in the 1830s with two small villages founded by African Americans, called Weeksville and Carrville, where a large free Black population grew (Schaefer 350). When the villages were destroyed during the urbanization of the area in the late 1910s, Crown Heights became home to “an upwardly mobile, rapidly assimilating elite of Eastern European Jews and other White European immigrants” (Schaefer 350). Later, the population boomed in the 1940s and 1950s when a rush of Jewish and Afro-Caribbean immigrants joined the community, attracted to the country’s thriving wartime economy (Schaefer 350). 

Crown Heights begins as a place for freed Black people in the United States, yet it turns into an intersectional neighborhood as time wears on, leading to some inevitable conflicts. On August 19, 1991, two African American cousins, Gavin and Angela Cato, were riding their bikes at the intersection of Utica Avenue and President Street—less than two miles away from where Café con Libros currently stands—when Orthodox Jewish Driver, Yosefl Lifsch, swerved onto the sidewalk. Gavin was killed and Angela survived, though she was severely injured. Rumors were spread that Lifsch was drunk driving, but they were later debunked, and the swerve was believed to have been deliberate. 

A few hours later, a group of Black youths stabbed Yankel Rosenbaum, a visiting Orthodox Jew, and the stabbing was seen as a retaliation to the recent accident. Though he initially survived the stabbing, Rosenbaum died from bleeding in an undetected wound. Riots lasted anywhere from three to five days according to different sources, and homes, businesses, and vehicles were destroyed. Even before the riots, there was harboring resentment between the Black and Jewish communities in Crown Heights, because the Black residents believed that the Jewish residents had received special protection from law enforcement due to a police redistricting decision in 1976.  

David Dinkins, Mayor of New York, intervenes in an argument between a Jewish man and a Black man. Photo taken by Time.

These riots were the result of two communities, both victims of oppression, wanting justice for their friends and family. Yet this shows the difficulties that can arise when intersectionality is not embraced but resisted. When Kalima DeSuze decided to open Café con Libros, it’s no mystery why she aimed to empower feminist and Afro-Latina voices. DeSuze is bringing to light intersectional identities that felt unseen and unheard in literature and Crown Heights. Daphne Spain expresses the importance of diverse female stories to the feminist movement in the 1970s, stating, “Feminist bookstores sustained and enriched the women’s movement when they disseminated literature by women of differing cultures, ethnicities, races, and sexual preferences” (89). This principle is still effective in the modern day through DeSuze’s bookshop. By creating a community dedicated to uplifting the writing and experiences of women of color, she is not only enriching the feminist movement but also enriching the neighborhood by embracing intersectional identities. She is actively creating a community for people like her, who felt so isolated in a neighborhood where identities are divided cleanly from one another by a history of violence and tension. 

Timeline made by Megan DeAngelo using Time Graphics.

Order Up! How the Shop Serves Its Community Today

Café Con Libros is an intersectional feminist bookshop and café catered to, made for, and beloved by its Brooklyn neighborhood. There’s a homey and amicable sense of belonging emanating from its walls. As the Edinburgh academic Tim Cresswell describes in his book Place: A Short Introduction, “They [places] are all spaces which people have made meaningful. They are all spaces people are attached to in one way or another.” The patrons and employees of Café con Libros have certainly made the bookshop a meaningful place.

“Café Con Libros and its patrons have become one of my most cherished safe spaces. For a while now, I have been reckoning with shifts in friendships and craving community that shares my values. Café Con Libros and the WoC book club have satisfied that craving. Having the opportunity to engage in nuanced discussions about rich literature with other bookish folx has reminded me of the beauty and necessity of community.” -Melika Butcher 

The spaces around the bookshop also contribute greatly to the community aspect of Café con Libros. Many are educational, including the Brooklyn Museum and the Children’s Brooklyn Museum, as well as several schools, encouraging children to visit the shop with their friends or guardians on their daily route. DeSuze takes care to recognize this by curating a special collection of children’s books for “budding feminists”. 

Map created by Megan DeAngelo using Google My Maps. Red marks places of worship, green marks schools, purple marks the Children’s Museum, and blue marks Cafe Con Libros.

Of course, this isn’t to say that the Crown Heights area is the most ideal place. When you take a closer look at the community surrounding Café con Libros, it is easy to see the turmoil within it. The soft turquoise storefront stands on the frontlines of an uphill battle to unify an increasingly gentrified community. 

Kalima DeSuze grew up a six-minute walk away from the shop, a place she says was once-crowded with old community convenience stores and African hair-braiding spots that have all since disappeared. Between 2000 and 2015, the Crown Heights area saw a 23% decrease in Black residents and a 205% increase in White residents (“Observer”). The median rent shot up from $870 to $1230, according to a study conducted by NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. Gone is the mostly Black and low-income neighborhood she knew as a girl. In its place, a tense population divided by race and class now bustles around one another, unsure of how to make peace with and live together (“Fernández”). 

Bookshops are a way for people to connect despite drastic changes in their community. Brooklyn is home to over 25 different bookshops, but Café con Libros makes a bold stand from the rest. All thanks to Kalima DeSuze’s extraordinary community work.

Along with running the bookshop, DeSuze is a social worker, a professor of social work, and an anti-racist community organizer, which she says greatly impacts every decision she makes about the shop. She carefully picks every aspect of the bookshop to cater to the feeling of acceptance and freedom within this community. The titles, events, and authors are handpicked to cater to this community. Even the name of the bookshop is an homage to DeSuze’s Afro-Latina roots, a nod to café con leche.   

Not only is DeSuze creating a space for this community, but she is also reclaiming the place of the café. DeSuze explains in an interview with Black-Owned Brooklyn that, “A café is the number one marker of gentrification in most communities of color, and I’ve had to wrestle with that and how people view me. Sometimes people will walk right past because they don’t believe the space is for them, and this is so incredibly painful.” 

In her book Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Competition, Laura J. Miller writes about what exactly community is and how it works within a grander scheme of things, “Community implies social bonds based on affective ties and mutual support […]” (119). Above all else, Café con Libros is a bookshop for the Black, intersectional feminist community, providing support and connection.

Photo of outside Cafe Con Libros taken by Janelle Cass.

Café con Libros is perhaps the most dedicated business to fostering and engaging with the community that most people have ever seen. Between their locally sourced pastries, their multiple book clubs, and their events that uplift other small businesses in Brooklyn, womxn authors, and cultural events, Café con Libros is determined to make themselves a meaningful place to anyone who walks through their doors. 

An Open Space and An Open Mind: Small Space for a Big Community

Tucked behind a cozy curtain of sage, forest, seafoam, and bottle-green ivy hangs a stark black and white awning. “BLACK, FEMINIST, & BOOKISH” it reads — but only on weeks that follow a good hedge trimming. That’s okay, though. The locals that frequent the shop already know what it says. A pride flag, as well as the flag of Panama — where the owner Kalima DeSuze hails from — proudly hang side by side in the window.

The layout of the shop feels like an attempt at bridging a connection between the turbulent past and the relentlessly hopeful present of the surrounding neighborhood. The open layout acts as a metaphor for openness, serving as a peace offering and a neutral ground for a once-divided community to come together and share stories. 

Readers will quickly take notice of DeSuze’s effort to disprove the misconception that feminism is only for “white folk” (Fernández). The left-hand window features books like The Crunk Feminist Collection and The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae. Beside them stand My Broken Language: A Memoir by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Las Madres by Esmeralda Santiago.

The wooden shelves in the right window display an extensive collection of diverse children’s books. There are titles such as La Guitarrista by Lucky Diaz, illustrated by Micah Player, and Los coquíes aún cantan by Karina Nichole González, illustrated by Krystal Quiles.

Books written in Spanish as well as English reiterate this mission of intersectionality and reflect the rich ethnic make-up of their New York area. The collection also showcases DeSuze’s multifaceted desire to challenge her Afro-Latinx community’s views on feminism by mirroring their experiences and giving them a reason to feel a part of the shop’s narrative. As her neighborhood continues to grow and change, she doesn’t want her shop to be limiting or divisive. She wants it to be unifying.

Floor plan made by Jennifer Martin using ThingLink.

The sunlight from the nearly floor-to-ceiling-sized windows brightens the hardwood of the small, one-room shop and illuminates the white shelves, which are piled high with black, queer, feminist, and classic literature. Trendy cream-colored tote bags decorate exposed, old-fashioned brick walls. 

Lyndsie Manusos from BookRiot points out that lighting has become an increasingly important part of nailing down a bookshop’s sense of design. Café con Libros has certainly paid special attention to the “vibe” in their shop in this regard. The natural lighting not only creates space, but also an inviting place for folks to browse books while sipping a coffee. This reflects Café con Libros’ mission of being a community space where people would want to stop by and hang out.

A small circular table sits to the immediate right of the door, highlighting books from local writers in a popular “customer-facing” design that Manusos also calls modern, eye-stopping, and customer-first (Manusos). Small shelves by the window display staff-picked books for another anchoring touch of community. A bundle of tote bags hangs on a rustic rail beside it. 

The remainder of the right wall is an impressively large bookcase that displays Café Con Libros’ main collection. Tiny tags with elegant, cursive script denote the shelves with hyper-specific genres and age categories. From left to right, the inventory covers cookbooks, spirituality, and healing before moving into fiction like “LGBTQIA+ literature,” “Queer Romance,” “Asian Diaspora,” “Indigenous Writing,” “Young Adult,” “Latina Reads,” “Science Fiction and Fantasy,” “Graphic Novels,” and “Young Adult,” just to name a few. There are even “not-book” items like little embroidered signs and metal figurines that make the shelves feel homey, just as the writer Lydia Pyne describes in BookShelf. It is a way to “declare one’s identity and individuality” (23 Pyne). Café con Libros holds over two hundred books and each one is handpicked by Kalima DeSuze herself (Best of Brooklyn). The wall feels like a personal collection.


The right wall of Cafe Con Libros, featuring the store’s main collection. Image above taken by Susan De Vries. Image to the right is from Kelsey F. on Yelp.

​As the academic Daphne Spain argues in her study of Feminist Bookstores, women visit feminist bookstores specifically “to see themselves in the books, and the ways books were displayed simplified their search. It was important to stock books by and about African American and Latina women, and equally important to make those collections visible” (88 Spain). According to Café Con Libros’ website, the shop aims to “offer feminist texts for all personalities, political affiliations, temperaments, and tastes.” Their selection means to “represent as many identities as possible.” The abundance of hyper-specific genres captures this intention. 

Understandably, the black feminist classics are front and center. Kalima DeSuze’s favorite book, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, is always faced out to customers (Abi). Shelf tags like “Modern Black Feminism” and “Black Feminist Classics” have the largest collections, and establish the shop as a landmark location for black feminist book-lovers.

The entire top shelf of the bookcase, miscellaneously marked “Feminist Novels,” continues off the right wall and onto the back wall as well, right above the coffee bar, which takes up the entire back right-hand corner of the shop. 

Their tiny cafe has a rustic yet simultaneously hip and minimalist aesthetic. Mugs hang from the walls, dark umber wood coats the countertop, and a small iPad sits in the place of a traditional register. Coffee is cheap, their largest latte only costing $4, but criminally delicious.

Continuing through the store clockwise, customers travel from womanhood to girlhood. A sign reading “It’s a girl’s world” to the right of the bar marks the threshold of this new portion of the shop: the children’s section, or the place Café Con Libros affectionately reserves for their “baby, budding feminists” (“Café Con Libros”).

This expanse of wall carries colorful toys, puzzles, and stuffies, as well as an entire bookcase of picture and board books. The tags in this section vary from age categories like “Baby” to genre-specific ones like “LGBTQIA+” and “Civil Rights.” There’s a round table at the end of this wall, symmetrical to the other half of the shop, that features children’s books written by local authors.

Unlike objects in a museum that often require plaques for historical context and meaning, the objects of a bookshop speak for themselves. They carry their own narrative. She doesn’t insist that all women are the same, but builds a library of all the ways they are different. DeSuze makes a reason to celebrate it, placing them all together in the same bookcase in the same shop. She resists the sort of other-ing and separatism that first poisoned her neighborhood. 

The design of the shop feels modern, yet historic. Young, yet timeless. To circle the quaint space feels like an invitation to travel both forward and backward in time, to touch and listen to literary objects as they speak their stories, to find the intersection between books penned by and for women of all different bodies, beliefs, and backgrounds. 

Closing the Book: A Reflection on Café Con Libros

The turnout for Cafe Con Libros’ book club meeting for Lab Girl by Hope Jahren. Image taken by Chris Setter

Café con Libros curates a book-loving community that thrives on intersectionality and celebration of culture in a city full of it. The rich history of Crown Heights emphasizes the need for an open space where all are invited to learn and grow from one another’s experiences. Kalima DeSuze runs with this mission in the shop today — developing and adapting new programs and ideas to reach more people within her community, from a podcast she started during the pandemic to a book subscription service she launched this year. The layout only strengthens this narrative with shelves dedicated to different diasporas and an open floor that encourages gathering and can be easily converted into a hub for local events. 

Trailer for “Black Feminist & Bookish,” a podcast made by Cafe Con Libros.

DeSuze is ultimately a community builder. All are invited to spend an afternoon in the cozy space of Café Con Libros, bumping elbows at book clubs while sipping their warm mugs of coffee and cracking open the spine of a new paperback. She designed Café Con Libros to not only be a mirror for the community’s past, but also a window to see its future.

Text Citations

“10 Best Cafes in Crown Heights.” Your Brooklyn Guide, 13 June 2022, yourbrooklynguide.com/cafes-in-crown-heights/.  

“Brooklyn Borough, Kings County, NY.” Census Reporter, censusreporter.org/profiles/06000US3604710022-brooklyn-borough-kings-county-ny/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.  

“Cafe Con Libros.” Black-Owned Brooklyn, 1 Mar. 2018, www.blackownedbrooklyn.com/stories/cafe-con-libros.  

“Cafe Con Libros.” Cafe Con Libros, 2018, www.cafeconlibrosbk.com/.  

Cresswell, Tim. “Defining Place.” Place: An Introduction, 2013, p 7.

Fernandez, Stacey. “This Afro-Latina’s Feminist Bookstore Is Building Community in Gentrifying Crown Heights.” Remezcla, 10 Mar. 2018, remezcla.com/features/culture/this-afro-latinas-feminist-bookstore-is-building-community-in-gentrifying-crown-heights/.

Giwa, Cynthia. “Cafe Con Libros.” Black-Owned Brooklyn, 1 Mar. 2018, www.blackownedbrooklyn.com/stories/cafe-con-libros.  

Manusos, Lyndsie. “The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design.” Book Riot, 22 Feb. 2022, bookriot.com/the-science-and-recent-history-of-bookstore-design/. 

“Menu: Cafe Con Libros.” Cafe Con Libros, www.cafeconlibrosbk.com/menu. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Miller, Laura J. “Serving the Entertained Consumer.” Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, 2007, p. 119.

NYC Department of Finance, Office of the City Register. Deed to 724 Prospect Place. Automated City Register Information System, 5 December 1985, https://a836-acris.nyc.gov/DS/DocumentSearch/DocumentDetail?doc_id=FT_3010009032901

Pyne, Lydia. Bookshelf. Bloomsbury Academic, 2019. 

Schaefer, Richard T. Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society. SAGE, 2008.

Spain, Daphne. “Feminist Bookstores: Building Identity.” Constructive Feminism: Women’s Spaces and Women’s Rights in the American City, Cornell University Press, 2016, pp. 84-110.

Staff, Bklyner. “What Does the New Census Data Tell Us About Brooklyn?” Bklyner, 13 Aug. 2021, bklyner.com/brooklyn-census-2020/. Stout, David. “The Case That Rocked Crown Heights.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Aug. 1996, www.nytimes.com/1996/08/15/nyregion/the-case-that-rocked-crown-heights.html.

Image, Video, and Audio Citations

Black Feminist & Bookish. “Black Feminist & Bookish.” Spotify.

Cafe con Libros. @cafeconlibros_bk. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/cafeconlibros_bk/

“Portraits by Chris Setter.” NYC Photographer Chris Setter, www.chrissetter.com/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023. 

F., Kelsey. Yelp. https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=nL8Ub9QbzrSqWY0LlJMxpA. Accessed 1 Nov. 2020

“The Alliance Between America’s Black and Jewish Activists Has Long Been Troubled” by Arica Coleman, 22 Aug. 2016. TIME, https://time.com/4460730/crown-heights-anniversary-blm-platform/.

Welcome Home: Molly’s Books & Records

Welcome Home: Molly’s Books & Records

By Ella Baker, Natalie Chamberlain, Kendall Reif, Lexie Kauffman, and Liann Quinones Melendez

In the heart of Philadelphia’s historic Italian Marketplace, Molly Russakoff invites wanderers into her home, Molly’s Books & Records. By sharing the unique culture of its surroundings, this personal bookstore blurs the line between business and family. 

The mosaic storefront // Photo credit: Molly’s Books & Records Facebook

The eye-catching mosaic storefront coaxes guests off the streets and draws them to the boxes of bargain books, records, and movies that frame the front door. Russakoff’s touch is evident from the start; a hand-painted sandwich board sits alongside the curb and gems from her collection are featured in the window. It feels inviting and familiar, like returning home after a long day. Even before they take a step inside, Russakoff considers everyone guests rather than customers. 

“It’s our home,” Russakoff said when asked about the atmosphere of her store. “We like to keep that feeling, where you’re coming into our home. [It’s] bright [and] organized. We like things to be easy to find and we like to be helpful and friendly.”

As the glass door opens, 600 square-feet of paradise is revealed where hand-painted signs hang proudly from the ceiling and colorful tile covers the floor. Russakoff knows that navigating a literary landscape can be daunting, and that’s why she meticulously crafted hand-painted signs for each section. They guide guests through the literary genres and authors, ensuring everyone can easily find their next great read. The signs point to different CD’s and records that line the wall to the right with the poetry section next to it. These shelves are symbolic of the owners themselves: Molly Russakoff and Joe Ankenbrand, a poet and musician.

Handmade greeting cards made by Molly Russakoff // Photo credit: Abigail Weil

Books and records are not the only items that reside within Russakoff’s place. Like many bookstores, Molly’s Books & Records sells non-book items around the store. According to Lydia Pyne, a historian and writer, “Putting not-books on a shelf in addition to actual books is a way of declaring one’s identity and individuality” (Pyne 25); Molly’s fully embodies Pyne’s ideas on expression through objects.

This is evident in the mugs and trinkets, adorned with beloved store motifs, that are thoughtfully placed, serving as a reminder that this is more than just a business; it’s a labor of love. Even more, scattered along the endcaps are notecards, featuring art from children’s books, a reminder that this is a space where the young and old come together to explore the loveliness of literature. The handmade nature of their not-books and the homey-feel of the mugs all point towards the larger theme of Molly’s Books & Records: home.

The checkout counter // Photo Credit: Marietta C

Inside this home, the check-out counter functions as a foyer. It’s directly to the left, usually staffed by Russakoff’s son, Johnny, or Russakoff and Ankenbrand themselves. The store cat, Mrs. Stevenson, roams the store and the apartment above, where Russakoff and her family live, effectively bridging the business and the family home. Even the family cat treats customers like they’re part of the family, choosing a lucky guest to tag-along with on their journey through the shelves.

The store is split into three general sections. The first section is the busiest and functions most like a family room, the hub of all household activity. Here, at the front of the store, Russakoff and Ankenbrand’s passions—poetry and music—are most on display. Past the checkout counter is a long wall of fiction. The shelves of books amass the space, from floor to ceiling. Pyne hypothesizes that bookshelves control how one interacts with a space. She states, “Bookshelves serve as powerful symbols” (Pyne 81). They “immediately cue us to how we ought to interact with a room and how much importance or power we assign it” (Pyne 81). Molly’s bookshelves welcome guests into the store and keep the space warm and homey. There is no social prejudice or hierarchy in the shelves that overflow with books. The lighter wood—oak, maybe pine—is inviting and approachable. This is an affordable wood that makes a bookshelf that doesn’t judge its customers or its contents. It’s not fancy; it’s simple, like it’s there for everyone to enjoy.

Fiction Wall (wall furthest from the entrance) // Photo Credit: Kirstie Ellen

In addition to these bookshelves, Russakoff intentionally chooses the lighting for her store to curate a sense of comfort and ease. The fluorescent lights are chosen for their brightness, allowing customers to easily read titles on the shelves. However, Russakoff ensures that the lighting is not too harsh; it’s bright enough to facilitate browsing but soft enough to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere. In this subtle way, she makes the space accessible, not just physically but also aesthetically.

Russakoff’s commitment to creating an accessible space is reflected by the content she sells. All of the books are used—in other words, they’ve been loved before—and reasonably priced. They’re arranged with their spines out, and ordered alphabetically by the authors’ last names. Filled-to the brim and charmingly unpredictable, the shelves create a lived-in and happy atmosphere. The inventory is updated, relevant, and carefully organized. Russakoff’s curated selection of fiction is a testament to her own literary preferences, featuring titles by renowned authors like Atwood, Hemingway and Faulkner, among many others. Her wish is to share what she loves, whilst still having something for everyone who comes in. 

The next section of Molly’s operates as a sitting room—a place of conversation, community and culture. It begins with two categories: Local and Philosophy/Religion. This section forms a rectangular alcove that has general nonfiction books to the right and art to the left. The other literature sections reflect different facets of personal life, each item handpicked. These things can all hold stories, memories, and meanings. On the top of the shelves, Russakoff displays her collection of rare and valuable books. She doesn’t cross paths with items like these frequently, but when she does, she ensures they are priced fairly while still receiving the return they deserve. The store is truly Russakoff’s personal library, as seen in the floor plan below. 

A comprehensive floor plan of Molly’s Books & Records, originally drawn by Molly Russakoff. Please note that this is not drawn fully to scale.

Molly’s Books & Records leans into this personal aspect in every detail. This is evident when entering the heart of the home, the metaphorical kitchen. The cookbook room is signaled by a white and blue hand-painted sign that hangs above the narrow wooden doorway. Within the room, shelves overflow with cookbooks from an amalgamation of cuisines and cultures.

Molly Russakoff standing in the Cookbook Room, under a hand-painted sign that marks the entrance to the room. // Photo Credit: Natalie Piserchio

About seven years ago, Russakoff decided to bring her love of food and cooking into the bookstore via an extensive culinary collection. In this section, guests can find anything from general cookbooks to chef biographies. The selection is diverse and flexible because Molly’s Books & Records has a loose definition of food writing. Their stock includes “biographies and memoirs, essay collections by writers like MFK Fisher, and reference works” (Weil) as well as what one would expect. This space provides an important connection between Molly’s and the surrounding community, perpetuating the intentions of the Italian Market. 

For over 40 years, Russakoff has lived and loved in The Italian Marketplace, a place of preserved culture and cuisine. The distinctive culture of the area reflects itself in a strong literary community, in which Russakoff is acutely connected. 

Russakoff’s father, Jerome Russakoff, opened his own indie bookstore—Russakoff’s Books and Records—sometime between 1982 and 1986 on 259 South 10th Street. Eventually, in 1997 Jerome handed down ownership of the shop to Molly Russakoff’s brother, Joe Russakoff. Since then, Russakoff’s Books and Records has officially been known as Mostly Books and has relocated to 529 Bainbridge Street in the early 2000s. Considering this familial history of bookselling, it should not have come to any surprise that Molly Russakoff would continue the tradition and open up her own bookshop. 

Around 2000, Russakoff purchased the property that Molly’s Books & Records currently operates on. Since then, she has opened and subsequently closed various businesses on this property: Molly’s Cafe, Bella Vista Natural Foods, and Molly’s Cafe and Bookstore. Russakoff raised her kids—Karla and Johnny—above the transformative space. This building is a part of the family, and she was determined to keep a business going in the community she loved. 

This timeline tracks the history of Molly Russakoff, the owner of the independent bookstore Molly’s Books & Records in Philly, PA. It focuses on the idea of Molly’s shop as a homestead that has a long series of preceding events leading to its creation. By connecting each event to this idea of forming a ‘home’ within a bookstore, the development of Molly’s mindset toward her business is visible as well as the factors that have led to the success/resilience of Molly’s Books & Records.


In the late 2000’s, she partnered with her now-husband, Joe Ankenbrand. The two met after Rusakoff had just closed her store, and was planning to reopen once again as a bookstore. She was in possession of records that she didn’t know how to price. Ankenbrand, who knew Rusakoff’s brother, had been a vinyl record collector since 1964, so she went to him for advice. The two combined forces and the rest, as they say, was history. 

Molly’s Books & Records opened in 2010, and a few years later, Russakoff and Ankenbrand were married in the bookstore, their home, surrounded by all the things they loved. They briefly ran an outlet for excess merchandise that did not fit the original store’s identity on Passyunk Avenue, a street away from the central location, but it was only open for a year and a half before the couple made the decision to close it. This experience made them realize that they’d rather focus their attention on one place and develop a single dedicated location for their guests: Molly’s Books & Records.

Every business venture Russakoff made in South Philadelphia was an attempt to create place, which according to human geographer Tim Cresswell is essentially defined as “a space invested with meaning” (Cresswell 12). Time and time again, Russakoff invested meaning into the building on 1010 South 9th Street. Every business she operated connected with the community and established relationships with the people of Bella Vista. Russakoff’s focus on home coincides perfectly with the history of the Italian Marketplace because South Philadelphia has been a haven for Italian immigration since the late 18th century. The map below works to further depict the way that Molly’s Books & Records functions within the surrounding Bella Vista neighborhood. It highlights the emphasis on food in the community and the businesses of various origins that call the neighborhood their home. Some markers work to show the emphasis on community in the area.

This map of Bella Vista features the locations of Molly Russakoff’s former businesses, showing us just how close together they have all been, and how Molly has repeatedly searched to establish her ‘home’ in the Italian Marketplace. Some markers on the map work to show the emphasis of community in the area.

Historically, Bella Vista was the core for Italian-immigrant life, and it was here that they attempted to preserve Italian identity in a Western culture. They moved into this neighborhood and worked hard to make it a multifunctional home. For example, when Italian immigrants settled in the neighborhood, they were able to adapt their housing to supply goods and services for Italian households. They would transform the first floor to be their shop, while using the rest of the building as a homestead, blurring the line between business and home even then. This historical architecture is still visible today in shops like Molly’s Books & Records. The bottom floor remains a commercial space to share cultures and passions, while the upper floor is Russakoff’s home where she raised her kids and lives a life of love.   

9th Street’s Italian Market thrives on love, like Russakoff. Its retailers are beyond passionate, and its beauty comes from the rich individuality of every single place. In his work Defining Place, Cresswell goes on to assert that the idea of place is “…not so much a quality of things in the world but an aspect of the way we choose to think about it – what we decide to emphasize and what we decide to designate as unimportant” (Cresswell 11). Evidently, the neighborhood of Bella Vista has chosen to emphasize one thing in particular: food. Food is something that can be almost perfectly translated across place and time: with the same recipes and ingredients, food can be timeless. In fact, over one hundred years later, many of the original vendors and businesses remain in the area. However, the food market itself has diversified as new waves of immigration entered Philadelphia. In 1983, the first Korean-owned establishment joined the many businesses within the Italian Marketplace (Tangires). From then on, different cuisines—from Mexican, to Chinese, to Vietnamese—can now be found alongside the Italian classics. Currently, the Bella Vista neighborhood houses many different ethnicities, with 17.7% Italian descendants, 16.5% Irish descendants, and 11.7% of German descendants, according to the United States Census Bureau. The diversity in the community is manifested in rich history and a mutual love of food. The neighborhood’s vast population of restaurants and stores with food-related wares communicates a desire to preserve its residents’ culture.

A snapshot of the extensive cookbook collection at Molly’s Books & Records // Photo Credit: Abigail Weil

The store symbolizes a genuine melting pot, as it serves the diverse community with culturally-enriched literature. Russakoff’s focus on cookbooks assists the neighborhood’s mission to define a sense of community and helps Molly’s Books & Records solidify their position in the culture of Bella Vista. In her book Reluctant Capitalists, sociologist Laura J. Miller explains that independent bookstores, such as Molly’s Books & Records, “assume position as cultural authorities” (Miller 84).

Molly’s Books & Records pursued this task of representing the culinary cultures of Bella Vista through a carefully curated cookbook collection. Considering Bella Vista’s history with immigration and cultural diversity, the cookbook collection extends its range far beyond the neighborhood’s Italian population with books “devoted to Pennsylvania Dutch, African American, Native American, Jewish, Scandinavian, Indian, and Middle Eastern cuisines, among others” (Weil). In their pursuit of diverse cultural representation through cookbooks, Molly’s Books & Records became the intersection of culinary and literary cultures in South Philadelphia.

This intersection creates a new and unique function of the store. It seems less like a commercial endeavor, and more like a place of learning. Russakoff invites guests into her home to share the history of the surrounding community as well as her own, almost like pulling old family photo albums out from the attic. She seems to make reading—and the exploration of lifestyles that comes with reading—approachable with her low prices, well-loved stock, and personally curated selection. Her store appears to be a convergence point of culture, providing knowledge for all.

Each book on her shelves is a lesson plan for the community. Russakoff’s definition of literature seems didactic—something that’s intended to teach life-lessons and broaden perspectives. The store may be a place of learning, but the books on the shelves provide the physical teaching materials. Some stock, like the cookbooks, are literal step-by-step instructions. The literature serves the guests and teaches the community, just waiting to be discovered and appreciated.

From the shelves, books and trinkets, to the host herself, this place welcomes everyone home. Molly’s Books & Records is a source of love—love for knowledge, love for oneself, love for community, love for culture, and love for food. 

Works Cited

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Cresswell, Tim. “Defining Place.” Place: An Introduction, 2013, pp. 10-12.

DeMuro, Catherine. “Italian Market Q and A: Joe Ankenbrand, Co-Owner of Molly’s Books and Records on 9th Street.” The 9th Street Beat, 3 Mar. 2015, 9thstreetbeat.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/italian-market-q-a-joe-ankenbrand-co-owner-of-mollys-books-and-records-on-9th-street/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

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Edwards, Tamala. “Married Couple Shares Their Love of Books, Music at Molly’s Books and Records in South Philly.” ABC Action News, 3 Mar. 2022, 6abc.com/mollys-books-and-records-italian-market-south-philadelphia-art-of-aging/11617396/. Accessed 15 Sept. 2023.

Forsythe, Pamela J. “The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia: History, Culture, People, and Ideas.” Broad Street Review, 18 Jan. 2022, www.broadstreetreview.com/reviews/the-italian-legacy-in-philadelphia-history-culture-people-and-ideas-edited-by-andrea-canepari-and-judith-goode. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

“History.” S. 9TH ST. ITALIAN MARKET PHILADELPHIA, PA, www.italianmarketphilly.org/history.html. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.

“Italian Market, Philadelphia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 May 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Market,_Philadelphia. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Kov, Daniel. “Molly’s Books and Records.” The Secondhand Beat, 12 Mar. 2011, thesecondhandbeat.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/mollys-books-records-part-ii/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

—. “Mostly Books.” The Secondhand Beat, 9 Apr. 2011, thesecondhandbeat.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/mostly-books/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Luconi, Stefano. “Italians and Italy.” The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2017, philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/italians-and-italy/#:~:text=It%20was%2C%20therefore%2C%20no%20surprise,and%20Leghorn%20in%20their%20homeland. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Miller, Peter N. “How Objects Speak.” The Chronicle Review. Accessed 11 Aug. 2014.

Miller, Laura J. “Providing for the Sovereign Consumer: Selecting and Recommending Books.” Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, Chicago, 2007, pp. 55-85.

Prihar, Asha. “A Poet, a Doctor, a Muse: Meet the Bookstore Cats of Philadelphia.” Billy Penn at Whyy, 10 Oct. 2022, billypenn.com/2022/10/10/bookstore-cats-philadelphia-mollys-book-trader-pets/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Pyne, Lydia. “Bookshelves as Signs and Symbols.” Bookshelf, London, Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.

—. “The Things That Go on a Bookshelf.” Bookshelf, London, Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.

Russakoff, Molly. Personal interview with the author. 25 Oct. 2023.

The South 9th Street Italian Market Philadelphia. www.italianmarketphilly.org/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Tangires, Helen. “Italian Market.” The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/italian-market/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

United States Census Bureau. data.census.gov/profile/ZCTA5_19147?g=860XX00US19147#employment. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

Weil, Abigail. “There’s No Place in Philly Quite like Molly’s Books & Records.” Eater Philadelphia, 13 Dec. 2021, philly.eater.com/2021/12/13/22820597/mollys-books-records-italian-market-bookstore-cookbooks. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Images Used

C., Bri. _Yelp_, 31 July 2022, https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=_hDaBMI9RDKwfe0JXcbr9A. 30 Nov. 2023.

C, Marietta. Arts and Sciences Section. 9 Dec. 2018, www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=DpAPgT-ccTo6H4jLpuNVGw. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

—. Checkout Counter. 9 Dec. 2018, www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=DpAPgT-ccTo6H4jLpuNVGw. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

—. Jazz Records. 9 Dec. 2018, www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=DpAPgT-ccTo6H4jLpuNVGw. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

—. Rock and Pop Records. 9 Dec. 2018, www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=DpAPgT-ccTo6H4jLpuNVGw. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

DeMuro, Catherine. Ankenbrand. The 9th Street Beat, 3 Mar. 2015, 9thstreetbeat.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/italian-market-q-a-joe-ankenbrand-co-owner-of-mollys-books-and-records-on-9th-street/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Ellen, Kirstie. Molly’s Books and Records. 2 Apr. 2018, ozbooksnail.com/2018/04/02/bookstores-to-visit-in-philadelphia-for-book-lovers/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

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Molly’s Books and Records. 3 Nov. 2018, www.tangfamily.me/italian-market/. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Molly’s Books and Records, _FaceBook_, 1 June 2017, https://www.facebook.com/mollysbooksandrecords/photos/pb.100066605814222.-2207520000/1489619537762206/?type=3. 30 Nov. 2023.

Molly’s Books & Records Family: “Married Couple Shares Their Love of Books, Music at Molly’s Books and Records in South Philly.” 6abc Philadelphia, 3 Mar. 2022, 6abc.com/mollys-books-and-records-italian-market-south-philadelphia-art-of-aging/11617396/.

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Records for Sale. Map Quest, www.mapquest.com/us/pennsylvania/mollys-books-and-records-2345352. Accessed 15 Sept. 2023.

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Midtown Scholar Bookstore: Unity Through Unanimity

Midtown Scholar Bookstore: Unity Through Unanimity

Place and People: Present

Midtown Scholar Bookstore, located in the bustling city center of Pennsylvania’s capital, has become a staple in the Harrisburg area since its doors opened in 2001.

Tim Cresswell, in his text “Defining Place,” talks about political geographer, John Agnew’s, “three fundamental aspects of place as a ‘meaningful location.” These aspects are location, locale, and sense of place. It’s already been said that Midtown Scholar is located in Harrisburg, PA, but what is “the actual shape of place within which people conduct their lives as individuals,” (Cresswell 7)?

Midtown Scholar is surrounded by a population made up of mostly people 25 years old and up, with the majority unmarried and living alone (Claritas). It is also a diversified area regarding race and ethnicity. The neighborhood Midtown Scholar is housed in has been referred to as “an up-and-coming neighborhood” by Jim Cheney in his September 2023 review for Uncovering PA.

Keep in mind that this is only a small segment of the population which can find enjoyment in Midtown Scholar and all it has to offer. Harrisburg acts as a go between and tourist destination for many who pass through central Pennsylvania. Looking at the map of Midtown and downtown Harrisburg, one will find several locations (marked in purple) that were built, like Midtown Scholar (marked in red), for the artistic, cultural, and historical betterment of the community. Midtown Scholar sits in the same strip as the famed Broad Street Market, known for its numerous vendors and fresh foods, and the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center, known for its live music performances. Also not far are the Susquehanna Art Museum and Midtown Cinema. Just on the other side of Forster Street, a main road running through Center City, anyone interested can visit the State Museum of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, Capitol Park, or The Forum Auditorium, all beautiful representations of the art, architecture, and history of the Harrisburg area. And if that all is not enough to fill the day, taking a quick trip through the Strawberry Square shopping center could kill some time as well.

The bookstore makes a point of being involved with the community surrounding them. Jim Cheney’s review in Uncovering PA states, “The local arts scene is quite prevalent in the store, with local artists, authors, and speakers frequenting the Scholar’s stage and the work of local artists hanging on the walls.” Anyone who visits the About Us: Community page on the Midtown Scholar website can see their preference for local representation in their featured events and works.

To have such a hand in the community, the store must understand who this community is and why their influence on the store and its influence on them is culturally significant to the Harrisburg area. In this way, the community and the store formulate their sense of place. The community and the locale and how it all interacts show how, “places must have some relationship to humans and the human capacity to produce and consume meaning,” (Cresswell 7). This is the sense of place Midtown Scholar has built for itself over the course of its (so far) 22 years.

Place and People: Past

Having historical significance through the revolutionary and civil wars, Harrisburg has consistently been a turning point for political discourse and a shifting populus, highlighted by how quickly the city changed from farmland owned primarily by the wealthy in the mid-1800s to an industrial hotspot following the civil war, evolving into the diverse metropolitan center it stands as now. Alongside the growth of the city itself, the Midtown neighborhood followed close behind, having an omnipresent connection to art and education due to its affluent nature which allowed it to flourish through the years.

This is not to discount the working-class of Midtown, however, who resided largely in an area known as Hardscrabble towards the north-end of its border. Despite being a location rooted in wealth, the demographics of Midtown have been fairly diverse since industrialization. Originally referred to as Uptown before the Midtown Square Action Council popularized its current name, the neighborhood has a long and storied history of growing directly alongside its communities, and the story of Midtown Scholar is no different.

Co-owners and marital partners Catherine Lawrence and Eric Papenfuse began selling books out of their home in 2001 after having a shared passion of literature and academia, coining the name “Midtown Scholar” to represent this mutual interest, and opening with a stock of roughly 15,000 texts ranging from art books to textbooks. After selling books on their online storefront for over two years, Lawrence and Papenfuse decided that their customers could better connect with their texts if they were able to interact with them directly and view them in-person, choosing to purchase a historic property where the lower level was still dedicated to online sales, and the top floor served as a mix between a bookstore and a lounge.

After being housed in this location for 5 years, the owners decided to purchase the modern property located at the corner of 3rd and Verbeke, fully renovating the building for a year before reopening in 2008. Having expanded the size of their store and growing their collection of texts exponentially, every choice the owners made in redesigning the interior was deliberate, leading to an environment that Papenfuse described as a “catalyst for civic engagement and urban development,” further emphasizing their aptitude at place-making and growing alongside their community. 

Prior to Midtown Scholar’s arrival in the neighborhood, the presence of literary hubs were slim to none, described by Lawrence as a “book desert” before their business was the first independent bookstore to open in the area. In founding and maintaining a store with such a diverse selection, the Scholar has been able to promote the same love for literature its owners possess, allowing those from all walks of life to find something they’d enjoy regardless of their experience with academia. This is one of Midtown Scholar’s core messages– that there is no required level of education or class to enjoy books. When these resources are made available to all, a deeper sense of community and togetherness can be established.

In this sense, Midtown Scholar and the Sunwise Turn bookstores are remarkably similar to each other, as elaborated upon in Joanne O’Sullivan’s article The Brief, Joyous Life of the Sunwise Turn Bookshop. From O’Sullivan’s description of Sunwise Turn in the article, it can be seen as a dark mirror of the Scholar, being founded by two partners who had a love for how literature could impact an individual, and looking to bring a community together within its walls. Despite these similarities, the largest reason Sunwise Turn failed where Midtown Scholar succeeded is due to their approach to sales as a whole, described by O’Sullivan as not being “particularly conducive to cash flow” (O’Sullivan). The importance of these similarities and differences are that they highlight the crucialness of a bookstore balancing its community with how it operates as a business, needing just enough of both in order to ensure their literary sanctuary continues to exist.

Space and Objects

Midtown Scholar is a different experience on every floor, from the main floor brimming with bestsellers, to their balcony full of used and new fiction, to their underground scholarly levels stacked with rare books. Despite these varied experiences, Midtown Scholar still ties them together, presenting a cohesive, universal feel that appeals to people of all different walks of life. While the layouts of each individual floor showcase the individuality of the section, Midtown Scholar’s winding staircases and other connectors keep the sections fluid and easy to navigate. This connective tissue between their sections curate a sense of belonging across different levels and encourages a diverse and inclusive community to wander the shop.

Between their expanded collection of new, used, rare, and scholarly books, you can go to Midtown Scholar and get any blend of experiences, perfectly tailoring the bookstore to your needs as a consumer. This universal appeal stems from things as obvious as the books themselves to objects as integral to the store as the architecture of the store and the bookshelves themselves. As Pyne states in her book, “Bookshelves act as the mediating object between a person and a book; how the book is met depends on the mobility of the shelf,” (Pyne, 52). Books are presented differently to encourage different customers to interact with them. 

For example, if you were to follow me through the front door and up one of Midtown Scholar’s worn metal staircases to my favorite part of the bookstore, the fantasy and sci-fi section on the balcony, you would find a section reminiscent of local childhood libraries, comfortably all-encompassing. The shelves of alphabetized fiction rise high overhead, to the point that I feel small, but not uncomfortably so. The books here appeal to the nostalgia their shelves encourage, creating a cohesive experience that appeals to the average college student or bookish geek. The metal bannister of the balcony runs all the way around and down the staircases to the ground floor, giving guests some consistency as they travel from one section to another.

Back on the ground floor, shelves full of famous mainstream authors line the walls, old wood framing the novels tucked away against the edges of the room. However, the other main attraction of the ground floor, perfect bound romance and fantasy novels, take center stage on easily movable tables. All the books on these tables are faced up and designed to draw potential customers to the bright graphics on the front covers. Nothing like the feel of the balcony, these tables can be rearranged quickly and have fast turnover, appealing to those who wish to browse the newest bestsellers while remaining easy to adjust at a moment’s notice. 

The difference between the upper and the scholarly floors is striking as well. If you travel another level down a familiar metal bannistered staircase, you’ll find sturdy old bookshelves with huge empty spaces between books. Each book is given room to breathe, and a certain sense of respect that you don’t find on the ground floor, with stacks of mass-produced, perfect-bound novels. These books speak to the “scholar” part of Midtown Scholar’s name, and as Pyne points out, “authority, advantage, and social status [… are] most easily symbolized by the presence of bookshelves, particularly in a social space” (Pyne 75).

Using these notable differences between shelves, Midtown Scholar presents experiences that feel comfortable to every type of customer. At the same time, the connective staircases serve as comfortable transition between worlds. They don’t intrude on the differences of the sections but instead remind customers that despite differences, all are welcome throughout the store, and they offer common ground between genres. You can step inside and travel through a cafe, an independent bookstore, a library, a scholar’s space, or all of the above, all within the space of one building. 

Cultural Functions

Midtown Scholar Bookstore was founded on the principle of making culture accessible for all. According to Merriam-Webster, culture is the “enlightenment and excellence of taste acquired by intellectual and aesthetic training” (“Culture Definition & Meaning”). The store initially began as an online seller of used academic books, which made educational materials affordable and easy for customers to access. As the store grew and eventually placed its roots in the Midtown neighborhood of Harrisburg, a mission statement was established to adequetly encapsulate these ideals, writing: “Since 2001, our family business has worked to transform our community by providing a welcoming space for the discussion & exchange of ideas about books, politics, arts & culture, and history” (“About Us”). 

Midtown Scholar makes itself a welcoming space for culture through its carefully curated inventory and well thought out events. 

Photo courtesy of Emily Costantino

With a focus on both new and used books, they are promoting new ideas while also preserving historical culture. In both these categories, there are books ranging from various topics in both nonfiction and fiction. The entire main level houses all the new books that cover topics like young adult literature, history, science fiction, and the classics. As you travel deeper into the store, specifically into the lower levels, you are met with books that are more geared towards academia with subjects focusing on global affairs, world and U.S. history, religion, humanities, and social sciences. Finally, there is the balcony level that features used books in art history, fiction, young adult fiction, poetry, science fiction, literary criticism, and theatre.

By having such a wide variety of books in all these topics, Midtown Scholar is providing the public with a passageway into so many realms of culture. Their selection of inventory truly reflects their mission statement by offering books that exchange ideas regarding politics, arts, culture, and history. Although their selection is vast, each area is blended together through the store’s sprawling hallways and stairwells. Thus, providing an avenue for customers to explore whatever literary journey they desire.

Another way Midtown Scholar promotes the diffusion of cultural ideas is through its events. On the main level of the store, there is a stage meant to house all kinds of community events that range from author signings to book readings to music performances. This constant cycle of happenings provides the locals with a space for discussion on topics surrounding music, politics, and literature. Additionally, Midtown Scholar originated the annual Harrisburg Book Festival which focuses entirely on celebrating literature through a week of book-themed events. 

In MacLeish’s A Free Man’s Books, books are described frequently as being weapons. He makes the argument that books are “instruments by which the lives of men and nations can be shaped” (MacLeish 7). Although Midtown Scholar does not take as abrasive of a stance as MacLeish, the sentiment still remains: books are vital tools to preserve and disperse culture. Later on in the piece, MacLeish makes the claim that booksellers need to understand and have a passion for the content of their books, or else they are just feeding into the commercialization of literature. The founders and owners of Midtown Scholar, Eric Papenfuse and Catherine Lawrence, have accomplished this by making it a point to focus on uplifting ideas surrounding all kinds of cultural topics. They stock their store with books based on content rather than on profit. They host a slew of events meant to foster discussion and learning about a range of topics. If anyone understands and proves that books are weapons, it’s Midtown Scholar. 

Literature

Walter Benjamin wrote in Unpacking My Library, “Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector’s passion borders on the chaos of memories” (Benjamin). When you walk through the front door of Midtown Scholar, you immediately know what chaos means. Not only are you met with a bustling counter where you can order coffee, tea, and various pastries, a big stage where the bookstore holds events, and customers milling about, but you are also met with tens of thousands of books. Not just bestsellers and fiction pieces (which they do have, right when you walk in the door on the first floor) but they have scholarly literature.

Midtown Scholar started when the founder, Eric Papenfuse, wanted to sell his textbooks that he acquired from his years at Yale University. Papenfuse and his wife, Catherine Lawrence, originally bonded over their love for books and history. It is very fitting that Midtown Scholar reflects their love in a way that helps the community. Casual readers, book lovers, and collectors alike can all go to Midtown Scholar to find almost any piece of literature that they want. Downstairs they have world history, with an entire floor being dedicated to the history of the United States.

According to Midtown Scholar’s About Us page, Papenfuse studied American history at college while Lawrence Studied British history. Global literature is located one floor below the American history floor, and it is an impressive section. A plethora of countries and cultures are highlighted in the expansive bookshelves, and Midtown Scholar makes sure to differentiate between cultures that sometimes get mixed in or associated with another culture, such as the distinction between British history, Scottish history, and Irish history.

Up the stairs from the main level is a section of art history. History from all over the world, from Picasso to Kahlo to da Vinci. The diversity of the catalog that Midtown Scholar offers is nothing short of amazing. While the store might be chaotic, there is a beauty to it. The exchange of literature, and thus ideas and knowledge, brings people together. Literature gives people something to talk about, and Midtown Scholar is just the place to do it. They create an environment that uplifts spirits and a community. They do so by inspiring people to collect literature, and along the way they collect both things previously mentioned and more. Love for literature constructs a love for life, and Midtown Scholar is a place that loves both. 

Works Cited

“About Us.” Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Cafewww.midtownscholar.com/history-and-mission. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023

Benjamin, Walter. Unpacking My Library. Shocken Books, 1931. 

Cheney, Jim. “Visiting Midtown Scholar Bookstore: Harrisburg’s Best Destination for Literary Lovers.” Uncovering PA, 6 Sept. 2023, uncoveringpa.com/midtown-scholar-bookstore.

Cresswell, Tim. “Defining Place.” Place: A Short Introduction, Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, 2004, p. 7.

“Culture Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023. 

“History and Mission.” Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Cafe, https://www.midtownscholar.com/history-and-mission.

“LIVE | The Story of an Independent Bookstore with Catherine Lawrence and Eric Papenfuse.” YouTube, YouTube, 27 Apr. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpdFCTpNQj4. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

MacLeish, Archibald. A Free Man’s Books. The Peter Pauper Press, 1942. 

O’Sullivan, Joanne.“The Brief, Joyous Life of the Sunwise Turn Bookshop.” Literary Hub, 26 Apr. 2021, lithub.com/the-brief-joyous-life-of-the-sunwise-turn-bookshop/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Population by Race & Ethnicity. Claritas, https://claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/#zipLookup.

Pyne, L. (2019). Bookshelf. Bloomsbury Academic.

Images/Graphics Citations
  • Map courtesy of Olivia Neumyer
  • Floor plan courtesy of Celia Lansing
  • Timeline courtesy of Jacob Rockoff
  • Photo of bell courtesy of Emily Costantino

Home is Where the Books Are: A Look into the layout design of Molly’s Books and Records

Home is Where the Books Are: A Look into the layout design of Molly’s Books and Records

Oftentimes, to avid readers like myself, bookstores and libraries act like a second home. Their atmospheres are built to be warm and inviting places where one can curl up in a favorite spot and spend wonderful moments in peace. In the article The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design, author Lyndsie Manusos discusses the recent trend in Bookstore design, goes in-depth on explaining how space and lighting is crucial to the Bookstore, especially independents. The owner of Wild Geese Bookshop in Franklin, Indiana had this to say about how she turned the near-century old hotel into the bookshop it is today; “My vision was to make sure it felt like a home with warm glowing light, rooms that fit the architecture and functional furniture pieces that mirrored the style of the house.” 

Molly’s Books and Records seem to run on the same logic. In my group’s interview with Molly Russakoff, owner and namesake of Molly’s Books and Records, she said that she designed the store’s layout to “make logical sense.”

Courtesy of Molly Russakoff

I think that not only does the layout make logical sense, but intuitive sense. Molly’s is a family business, and not only that, but the owners live above the shop. To me, the layout of the shop conveys this theme of home perfectly. Even before fully entering the building you are greeted by the books and records on sale, which is akin to a welcome mat. Along the right wall are shelves dedicated to CDs, Records, and Poetry. These shelves, at least in my interpretation, are symbolic of the owners themselves greeting the customer as they enter the shop. Molly Russakoff is a poetry writer, and co-owner/husband Joe Ankenbrand is a record collector and in a band. The table of records in the middle of this first room acts almost like a coffee table in this “living room” portion of the shop. Fiction lines the opposite wall with a Philosophy and Religion shelf adjacent to it. The next portion of the shop has sections for local works, non-fiction, and art. Cookbooks have their own dedicated room in the back, akin to a kitchen inside of a home. I think this placement adds to the store’s vibes, especially considering its placement in the highly community-oriented Bella Vista.

Even though I haven’t been able to set foot in the store myself, I feel a sense of calm even just looking at the layout. It just screams of homely comfort, and I think the fact that it also is very much a home to the owners adds to that feel. I hope I will be able to make a pilgrimage to the store myself one of these days.

Work Cited:

Manusos, Lyndsie. “The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design.” BOOK RIOT, Book Riot, 22 Feb. 2022, bookriot.com/the-science-and-recent-history-of-bookstore-design/.

Library Express: A Consumer-Driven Model

Library Express: A Consumer-Driven Model

It’s a Saturday morning and you’re strolling the industrial white halls of the Marketplace at Steamtown, a fan of the hit TV Series The Office who just took a picture with the famous “Welcome to Scranton” sign from the opening theme, a Scranton local on the way to Crunch Fitness for your weekly 12-Round TKO class, or a parent with kids in tow waiting for the Electric City Aquarium to open. Further down the hall, you see some color breaking up the white and grey monotony, one of the only spots of visual activity at this end of the mall. As you get closer, you realize those are books carts out front, and you step a little quicker at the thought of browsing through the selection. The store’s window displays are creative and timely, bright fall colors and spooky paper spiders to match the current season, and the oak facade augmented with book pages as decoration is comfortable, orderly, and eye-catching. After perusing the used book carts out front and peeking at the event schedule on the accompanying whiteboard, you enter the store…

Located on the second floor of the Marketplace at Steamtown, smack dab in the heart of downtown Scranton, Library Express furnishes the community with color, accessibility, and creativity in a neat, orderly package. Before readers even enter the store, they can explore the loosely organized discount books on mismatched metal library carts by the entrance, divided by age range and general category (e.g., cookbooks, mass-market thrillers). These are the cheapest books in the store, with $1 used paperbacks and $3 used trade books.

Though the primary shelving in Library Express is nothing to scream home about—slightly battered, adjustable, walnut-colored shelves that occasionally look the slightest bit lopsided; plastic folding tables covered in paper; wire racks next to milk crates and pegboard—it certainly fills the need for practical functionality while avoiding a feeling of pretentiousness in the store’s presentation. Despite this purportedly pell-mell assortment of shelving, the store still achieves a uniform appearance and layout that is easy to grasp and maneuver through the moment you step into the space.

Along the walls on either side, sections are organized into small, contained U-shapes of similarly coded books: classics and classic-adjacents, adult and YA, nonfiction and special interest, etc. Although this store design is somewhat formulaic (U-shape after U-shape after U-shape with tables down the middle and little to break up the repetition), you don’t need to be familiar with the store to figure out where to find things or recognize what it’s about as a branch of the Lackawanna County Library System and an independent bookstore.

Library Express seems to borrow much of its layout from typical shopping mall outlets, presenting its wares in straight, orderly lines and the U-shaped “cubby” sections on either side of the space. In “The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design,” Lyndsie Manusos meditates on “how a bookstore should ‘reflect the style and traditions of its surroundings’” when forming its culture, design, and function within its community. With its position in a former shopping mall and aging industrial town, Library Express definitely exudes that same straightforward, businessy atmosphere that pervades the rest of Scranton. It’s direct and to the point—you quickly recognize where to go to find the books you’re interested in, you can see straight through to the back of the store the moment you walk in, and while the layout encourages browsing and free movement, it doesn’t give you leave to linger for hours while reading an unpurchased or unborrowed book. In this vein, the store “buys into” that consumer culture with its prominent merch tables cutting through the center and the NYT Bestseller display right up front just past the book carts for anyone who wants to keep up with the current rankings.

In addition to the regimented orderliness of its design, notice, too, the distribution of Library Express’s three main product sections in the following floorplan. The bookstore is roughly divided into thirds, resulting in a large merch section in the middle of the store that clearly reveals the influence that traditional mall shopping culture and profit-minded sales models have had on the bookstore’s development. A brief color key: books for borrowing and other library spaces are in purple, non-book items for sale are in orange, and books for sale (new and used) are in green.

Library Express’s floor design and allocation of space is also revealing in terms of its collection. In Reluctant Capitalists, Laura Miller argues that “aside from any personal attachment to a locale, the [book]store proprietor knows that the fate of her entire business is tied to the future of that community” (226). In other words, independent booksellers have a stake in upholding the community’s well-being and must cater to their customers’ interests and values to stay afloat in that community. Library Express does this in many ways by prioritizing certain genres or categories over others. For example, the cheapest books are the first things customers from the low-income community of Downtown Scranton interact with.

In terms of relative section size, Library Express frontloads the store with classics and nonfiction, while compressing all of adult fiction, memoir, and young adult into just one U-section. Classics are the only section that requires two rows of books on every shelf to accommodate the large selection and the nonfiction section overflows into used book crates on the floor. Meanwhile, YA and adult fiction is the section with the smallest number of face-out books because there’s only enough room for them to be packed in spine out due to how compressed their allotted space is, whereas the children’s books are given a lot of breathing room.

The library collection of the hybrid bookstore is also remarkably small, less than a quarter of the store’s floor space. It does contain, however, a huge assortment of large print texts that really is a testament to its specialization and dedication to accessibility in the community (the large print titles take up almost an entire wall of the library section, where space is a premium), as well as hundreds of DVDs library card holders can take home and enjoy for the standard two week period before returning. The library portion of the store seems less a resource for high academic pursuits and more a place for older individuals in Scranton’s aging population to stop by to pick up a movie or a relaxing afternoon read, which lines up with the store’s huge emphasis on community engagement and activities in the back part of the store.

Library Express, as influenced by the industrial, no-nonsense shopping culture in Scranton, is a store that calls back to (or never left) the days when bookstores operated on practical commercial business models, more of a transactional retailer than an intellectual gatekeeper (a model well-suited to the environment around it). By prioritizing its customers, Library Express brings a lot of life to the Marketplace at Steamtown with its colorful arrays, creative art displays, and emphasis on community involvement. It’s committed to positively impacting anyone who enters through its library resources and bookstore design.

Citations

Texts

Manusos, Lyndsie. “The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design.” BOOK RIOT, 22 Feb. 2022, bookriot.com/the-science-and-recent-history-of-bookstore-design/.

Miller, Laura J. “Pursuing the Citizen-Consumer: Consumption as Politics.” Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2007, p. 226.

Images/Graphics

All photos taken by Amelia Alexander, Brooke Nelson, and Janina Reynolds on October 28, 2023 at Library Express Bookstore, Scranton, PA.

Floorplan drawn by Amelia Alexander in October 2023; floorplan annotations added using https://www.thinglink.com/

Midtown Scholar: An Enticing Maze

Midtown Scholar: An Enticing Maze

When you walk into a bookstore, the immediate focus should always be the books and the numerous forms of shelving that hold them. The layout of these shelves and the books they contain show the priorities the bookseller places on certain titles and genres over others. It shows how they want their customers to move through the store, and the way they mean for them to interact with the books and the store itself. In a Book Riot article titled “The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design” and written by Lyndsie Manusos, a bookseller they interviewed stated, “The modern bookstore is about an intellectual browsing environment throughout the store… Our job, when you come into our stores, it’s just fun, it’s exciting, you walk out with books you had no idea that you needed, wanted, and feel really good about it.”

Filled with around 200,000 titles, the bookshelves of Midtown Scholar Bookstore span six floors over two buildings along with the numerous metal, library carts holding used books that customers can browse before even getting to the front door. It is a store full of wonder and gives people a chance to walk out with things they may not have expected including a desire to return and continue exploring again later.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore was founded by Eric Papenfuse and Catherine Lawerence. Both were proud book collectors from long before they even met, as they explain in an interview from April of 2023. Both have backgrounds in history and teaching that led to their specialty in academic, used, and antique texts.

The main floor of the Scholar has a multitude of tables upon walking in that they adorn with mostly new titles to fit adjusted themes for whatever is going on at the time (The Harrisburg Book Festival, holidays, signed recently, etc.). The standing shelves against the wall closest to the door hold staff picks/ blind dates with books and bestsellers. Other tables on this floor feature a multitude of categories displaying what books the booksellers believe would be of most interest to the clientele, like a table specifically for books written by women or the newest paperback releases. These tables can be found placed on the staging area as well when the store is not hosting an event. They also have a display for the merchandise of the store itself and the brand they push on a small standing shelf with shelving on all four sides, so customers walk around the whole thing to see all the merch.

Midtown Scholar’s checkout counter is part of their coffee bar, one of the first things a visitor sees when they come in, which gives people the chance to get a drink right when they arrive, or when they go to ask a question. People are more than welcome to walk around with their beverages, but if they’d like to sit they can go to the mezzanine level of the store. As a mainly academic bookstore, Midtown Scholar makes a point to place their books in a way that best displays their niche. The reflection of these things is vividly portrayed in the layout and flow of the shelves and titles around the Scholar, including on the mezzanine. There are two ways to go up, either straight into Art History, where rolling ladders are attached to the shelves to allow access to the upper levels, giving very much Beauty & the Beast vibes, and where a Pop Culture section hides in an alcove behind it. Or you can go straight to the highest level where Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Poetry sit. This places these less academic categories in a more out of the way place, potentially in hopes that customers will wander about before making their way to those shelves.

The majority of the shelves on the main floor level are “Famous Authors” shelves, adorned with classic and canon titles in alphabetical order by author’s last name, with tags showing where each new author’s section begins and no concept of genre separation. The “Famous Authors” shelves are fully wooden and fixed, meaning the shelves do not readjust to fit differing sizes of books. Movable shelves provide a larger variety of options for their usage, because “A mobile bookshelf is one where shelves could be adjusted to fit either very tall or very short books and where shelves could move across the floor,” (Pyne p. 51-52). These bookshelves being stagnant shows a deliberate choice. The shelves create a unified look to the space, encircling the majority of the wall space on the main floor, and the titles that go on them give the effect of being as stagnant as the shelves themselves. These shelves even feature photos/ paintings of some of these famous authors on the edges that stick into the rest of the main area. This is a not-so-subtle way of showing the store’s inclination towards academic writing that leads customers further into the store.

If you walk down, into the deep, seemingly endless academic texts that flow throughout the depths of the store, you find a whole world of books that goes far beyond what anyone would expect when they first walk into the Scholar. Beginning with American History, the shelves ripple down into nonfiction texts of all kinds, surrounding the antique books room where the books are all displayed in cabinet shelves that require associate assistance to open. All throughout this maze of levels there are locked cabinets due to the titles’ exclusivity or price, and there’s a desk where an appraiser works to buy used books or accept donations, creating an endearingly cluttered look to the space with the boxes of books that are thrown in with the part wood, part metal shelves. An assumption that can be made from this shelving type is that they kept the uniformity of the wood, but the metal shelves allow for adjustment, and strength to handle the many tomes.

The underground of the Scholar (depicted within the floorplan above) encompasses the feeling of clandestine bookshelves, especially as one keeps going further down. “The idea of secret libraries full of clandestine bookshelves with books holding surreptitious knowledge is practically a trope that writes itself,” (Pyne p. 69). To reach the antique books in their locked cabinets and the lithography prints that grace tables in the same room, customers from the upper levels must first walk through a slightly elevated hallway that pays homage to the building’s past as The Boston Store. Photos of the old store, news clipping, and the old sign grace the walls that lead you to the antique works, showing the reverence being held for the things of the past. However, that’s not the end. Walking further in, visitors pass the sciences and gender studies to reach the Book Barn, filled with antique used books that are not valued high fiscally, but its placement secreted away in the basement gives it an intrinsic sense of value. “The secrecy that surrounds hidden bookshelves speaks to a sense that knowledge itself is a guarded thing,” (Pyne p. 74). The hidden gems of Midtown Scholar seem never ending when visitors find themselves exploring these underground shelves.

Given how much space is dedicated to the academic titles as compared to the general audience titles, one can clearly see the priority of Midtown Scholar is in its role as a scholarly bookstore. It gives reverence to its academic texts by placing them in spaces and on shelves that reflect their value. This is all just the main building, too. In giving customers an incentive to roam the store and find all the alcoves and little treasures they may have never expected, Midtown Scholar Bookstore adds to its likelihood for continuous visitation and sales.

Citations

Texts

Cheney, Jim. “Visiting Midtown Scholar Bookstore: Harrisburg’s Best Destination for Literary Lovers.” Uncovering PA, 6 Sept. 2023, uncoveringpa.com/midtown-scholar-bookstore.

Manusos, Lyndsie. “The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design.” BOOK RIOT, 22 Feb. 2022, https://bookriot.com/the-science-and-recent-history-of-bookstore-design/.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore. “Live | the Story of an Independent Bookstore with Catherine Lawrence and Eric Papenfuse.” YouTube, YouTube, 27 Apr. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpdFCTpNQj4&ab_channel=MidtownScholarBookstore.

Pyne, Lydia. Bookshelf. Bloomsbury Academic, 2019.

Images & Video

All images and video were taken by Olivia Neumyer on 10/29/2023.

Thing Link floorplan was created by Olivia Neumyer on 11/1/2023.

Library Express: Creating a Library Feeling in a Consumer-Based World

Library Express: Creating a Library Feeling in a Consumer-Based World

The setup of Library Express is reminiscent of both the typical bookstore layout and the library it is modeled after. It intertwines aspects of a library that you would picture in any place with the distinct setup of a bookstore. Both aspects, while separate in theory, are tied together through the layout of the store. There is significance behind the placement and appearance of each section and decoration of Library Express. The setup of the front of the store, the purchasing area, is cluttered and full of books and book-related items that tempt customers into spending both their time and money in the store. The back of the store is a condensed version of a typical library, enough so that it is easy to forget you are also in a bookstore. This progression from store to library is well-paced and flows as it should. The overall layout of the store is clearly intended for independence. The calming music and general quiet of Library Express give everyone who enters a sense of solitude and peace that is much welcomed in the bustling world of today.

Despite this, the layout was more reminiscent of a bookstore than a library. There were only two sections with library-specific items, while the rest of the store was dedicated to purchasing items. The back end of the store was distinctly more library-centered than the front, which fits with the ideal library image. Libraries are typically quiet, private places where you can be alone in your thoughts. The placement of the community library areas at the back of Library Express allows more privacy. While there, you can feel as if you are in a different area than elsewhere in the store. If this area were at the front, the large windows would give a sense of being watched and exposed. You would never get the private sense that community requires.

Image taken by Brooke Nelson

The individual niches along the sides of the store were set up in a way that naturally progressed throughout. Each niche, though focused on a different subject, paired well with the surrounding niches. For example, the section on Scranton was next to the section on general history and reference books, which paired nicely with the facing artistic and poetry sections. This arrangement shows the great thought put into the set-up of the store. The designers thought about how people would progress while creating the layout. The entrance of the store, with bargain carts of books, suggests a feeling of intrigue in potential consumers. They see a variety of inexpensive books and themed window displays, which brings them into the store itself to encounter other temptations inside.

Image taken by Brooke Nelson

Though the library section was small, it was arranged in an almost exact match as the purchasing section of Library Express, making it easy to find books in either section. The two niches were separated by a container for returned library items, allowing it to be accessible to people on either side. In addition to this, the two niches on library materials were in the most isolated and private area of the store: the back corner. This mimics many other library setups in their separation from the rest of the world, which allows the customers to have a distinct idea of where they are. Allowing people to clearly know what the purpose of each section is allows them to find their way around without much outside assistance from employees. Their location next to the checkout, as well, lets the customers feel as if they are in a confined library. It eliminates the need to walk across the store through a different section with a different purpose.

Most items sold near the checkout area were book-themed, or at least book-adjacent. This perfectly reflects Lydia Pyne’s statement that “… the books and not-books a person puts on their shelves become a declaration of their identity” (41). The purpose of the store is to cater to bookish individuals and bring together a community. This is reflected in the specificity of books as a subject of most of the store. When you are next to the checkout area of any store, the small trinkets surrounding the register are meant to tempt you into spending just a bit more money. However, there was no pressure felt from the employees to purchase any of the items. The focus of the employees on creating an individual experience rather than spending money allows the store to mimic a library checkout experience.

The books themselves are shelved in a typical way, side by side with their spines out. The sales tables in the center of each niche are set up to maximize the space each book has. Each book on these tables is set apart from one another, propped up with their covers out, and arranged artfully on the shelves. This clear distinction forces the books on the tables to feel special, which tempts customers into purchasing them. The bookshelves themselves are wooden, with adjustable levels for each shelf. They do not have backing, which makes customers able to see through to the other side. This clarity between sections creates a small sense of community. You can see others participating in the same activity as you, which brings people together. Pyne states that “For some bookshelves, mobility involves arranging space for visitors. This arrangement of space is like creating spatial holes around the bookshelves” (64). The bookshelves, like Pyne’s idea of mobility, create individual spaces for customers to feel comfortingly confined in.

The sense of the store was one of isolated comfort, with a community available at any time. The employees never made their way around the store or even spoke with you beyond a greeting as you walked in the door. This action is reminiscent of a library, differentiating it from an otherwise consumer-based area, the mall. In libraries, the librarians do not walk around, and you are left to your own devices for the most part. However, in stores, you are forced to interact with employees and are asked if you require help at least once. This act, while innocuous, gives a distinct air that you are simply a customer rather than a member of a community, as opposed to the library sense.

It is obvious that Library Express caters itself toward community, especially in the wide variety of community-oriented sections. As Clifford says on page 221, “The critical history of collecting is concerned with what from the material world specific groups and individuals choose to preserve, value, and exchange.” Library Express collects books in a way that values their accessibility and wide audience, particularly shown in the clear and easy distinctions between areas. There are activity sections, book and stuffed animal pairs for children to peruse, a seating area, and an open activity for customers to color themselves. With the confined area of the back of the store, people in those areas are more likely to feel a sense of community with others, as they are all in the same space participating in the same activity. Though this activity is not always the exact same, the location and similarities in activities are enough. Library Express and its setup tie together into a close-knit community welcoming to all.

Images

Nelson, Brooke. Images of Library Express. 28 Oct. 2023.

Sources

Clifford, James. “On Collecting Art and Culture.” Harvard University Press, 1988, pp. 215–251. Twentieth-Century Ethnography, Literature, and Art, Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Pyne, Lydia V. Bookshelf. Bloomsbury Academic, an Imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2016.

Harriett’s Bookshop: Like a Literary Museum

Harriett’s Bookshop: Like a Literary Museum

If you ever find yourself wandering the streets of Philadelphia in the good ol’ district of Fishtown, you might just happen upon a bookshop clad in black and white. You might even feel as though you’ve walked right into the pages of your favorite novel, surveying the cross-hatched floorboards and tracing stark black furniture illustrations against pale walls. If that’s the case, you’ve reacted just as Jeannine Cook intended. Despite only opening its doors for the first time in February 2020, Harriett’s Bookshop has already gone through its first cosmetic transformation in November 2021. In anticipation of Will Smith’s launch party for his memoir Will, Cook and her family began transforming the space from Indie to avant-garde. By the time Will Smith walked through Harriett’s doors, the shop housed no colors other than the absence of color: white.

Harriett’s original design concept (Gray, 2020)

Only later on, in 2022, would the renovations be completed. As Jeannine put it in an interview on the Kelly Clarkson Show, “and now the bookshop is a whole ‘nother bookshop again. Right, so we had artists come together and when you walk in, you’re literally inside of a book. So, there’s illustrations on every wall, on the floors, yeah.” In contrast to Harriett’s original dark woods, abundant greenery, and boho furniture, the store is now more of a bold statement piece or a work of art. It’s almost as though the entire store is one big art museum.

Interestingly enough, Cook curates the store like a museum, often rotating the shelves, books on display, and other trinkets to promote the “visiting artist” of the moment or whichever cause she is advocating for at the time. Nothing in the shop is stationary, meaning everything is able to be moved around and is often utilized. Changing the layout of the store not only creates interesting displays, but keeps customers constantly flowing, wondering what Harriett’s will look like the next time they walk through those doors. Due to the constant changes, the shelving categories vary and often are not categorized based on genres or alphabetized by author last name. There is no rhyme or reason to the layout that follows the rules of “book display etiquette,” often it is to promote whatever Cook finds interesting at the time or thinks others would find interesting. Harriett’s isn’t the kind of bookshop you go to when you’re looking for a specific title though, so the lack of structure works, it is a place to find books you didn’t know you needed.

Harriett’s new look (Bookshop, 2022)

There are a few things that always remain consistent, however, such as always keeping self-care and cookbooks, featured local writers’, and founding foremothers’ sections (Cooks “Foundational Foremothers” are Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Octavia Butler). The children’s book area also remains consistent, although it is still rearranged, the materials stay the same.

Despite how odd rearranging a bookstore and renovating after only a year in business may sound, Cook was and is very intentional in why she does this. Cook’s whole reason for opening a bookshop in the first place is that she couldn’t see how someone could be reading and not sharing. She says:

“We bookworms look for places to hide, but the bookshop is an open space, where we respect one another and hear each other out.”

-Jeannine Cook (Gray, 2020)

Harriett’s open concept is a way to encourage these discussions. The bold and bright new look of Harriett’s Bookshop was done with the intention of making the space feel bigger and more open; two concepts that are popular for bookshops among customers these days. The concept doesn’t make customers feel exposed, although some people prefer more comfortable, dark, and compact bookshops, which is why Harriett’s presents several different atmospheres. There’s the ground floor (which is bright and open), there’s the Underground (which is dark and neon), and there’s the reading garden (which is natural). Customers can grab any book they’d like, sit out back in the reading garden surrounded by plants and fresh air, and read for as long as they’d like.

Despite all the changes, Cook believes that the shop will never stray from Harriet Tubman. In talking about her bookstores in an interview with Libro.fm Podcasts, Cook says “I think the shops kind of adapt to the personality of the person they’re named for,” in response to her mother, Celia, describing Harriett’s as “classy, soft, and attentive.” Jeannine then proceeds to say, “so Harriett’s, the furniture is nimble and everything’s always moving, and it’s just that. And Harriet was a small but mighty woman.” Aside from what is mentioned, we are able to see what Jeannine is referring to. Harriet Tubman is represented throughout the shop from knickknacks on the shelves to the shrine in the Underground.

The Underground at Harriett’s (Bookshop, 2022)

The Underground is how Cook refers to the basement section of the bookshop. Naming it this way is a homage to Harriet Tubman helping people to freedom through the Underground Railroad, as Cook provides freedom through literature. The theme of the Underground is almost inverted from the main floor as the walls are black and the wall illustrations are drawn out in neon lights, resembling a night club. Cook wrote in a Facebook post in January 2023, “next time you visit us make sure you check out the new exhibit in our underground at the bookshop–it’s giving 80s techno vintage book rave.” These shelves are decorated with various historical/scholarly referenced items such as a globe, a moonshine jug, and other items that can be tied back to times of abolition. Aside from being an entertainment space and housing gently used books for $5 a pop, it features art from various miscellaneous artists, including Cook herself.

Floor plan layout of Harriett’s Bookshop (Left: Ground Floor) (Right: Underground) (McCann, 2023)

The upgrade in interior design reflects how independent bookstores are making changes recently. Before the renovation, Harriett’s Bookshop looked just like any other independent bookstore. If someone was walking by and peeked through the window of her old shop, they would’ve probably just kept on walking. Although people say not to judge books by their covers, the covers and titles give the first impression and the contents often come second. Jeannine Cook knows this, which has been proven by her unique innovative ways of drumming up business. She’s not alone as independent bookstores have begun changing themselves, so they are not only more recognizable, but so they stand out amongst the many other bookstores out there. What about their specific bookstore changes someone’s book shopping experience? Why go to an independent bookstore rather than just buying a book on Amazon? These are the questions independent bookstores are trying the find the answer to.

Independent bookstores aren’t the only ones effected by Amazon; Chain bookstores have also started changing their look to reflect indie bookstores. Barnes and Noble is no exception as they have been busy lately renovating their spaces, saying, “The green carpet is gone. Dark wood shelves are no longer in favor (cite NYTimes article above),” and working towards embracing lighter, brighter interiors in an effort to “act more like the indie stores it was once notorious for displacing (same NYTimes article).”

Citations:

Text

Manusos, Lyndsie. “The Science and Recent History of Bookstore Design.” BOOK RIOT, 22 Feb. 2022, bookriot.com/the-science-and-recent-history-of-bookstore-design/.

O’connor, Maureen. “Barnes & Noble Sets Itself Free.” The New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/style/barnes-noble-redesign.html.

Image

Bookshop, Harriett’s. “Harrietts Bookshop on Instagram.” Instagram, 17 July 2022, www.instagram.com/p/CgHXHe6jlZ2/.

Gray, Kylie. “Drexel MFA Student Opens Harriett’s Bookshop in Fishtown.” College of Arts and Sciences, 3 Feb. 2020, drexel.edu/coas/news-events/news/2020/February/drexel-mfa-student-opens-harrietts-bookshop-in-fishtown/.

Floor Plan

McCann, Bedelya. “Sign Up.” ThingLink, 2023, www.thinglink.com/scene/1776303159413572452.

Website

Bookshop, Harriett’s. “Harrietts Bookshop on Instagram.” Instagram, 17 July 2022, www.instagram.com/p/CgHXHe6jlZ2/.

Bookshop, Harriett’s. “Not Trying to Alarm, y’all. Pic.Twitter.Com/cAhEGe2BG3.” Twitter, 21 Oct. 2023, twitter.com/harriettsbooks/status/1715729157508751701.

Butze, Olivia. “Libro.Fm Podcast – Episode 12: ‘Interview with the Owners of Harriett’s Bookshop.’” Libro.Fm Audiobooks, 27 Mar. 2023, blog.libro.fm/libro-fm-podcast-episode-12-interview-with-harriets-bookshop/#transcription.

Gray, Kylie. “Drexel MFA Student Opens Harriett’s Bookshop in Fishtown.” College of Arts and Sciences, 3 Feb. 2020, drexel.edu/coas/news-events/news/2020/February/drexel-mfa-student-opens-harrietts-bookshop-in-fishtown/.

The Kelly Clarkson Show. “Philadelphia Bookstore Honors Harriet Tubman’s Legacy with Deliveries on Horseback.” YouTube, 5 Apr. 2022, youtu.be/Esnh6OJyxrQ?si=Ta-5ilxUt55iHNQ0.