It Takes a Community to Raise a Bookstore

Can a community be silenced by construction? 

 

Image 1Imagine a place of safety, of community, of culture. Eso Won Books, an independently owned African-American bookstore in the heart of the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, is that community center. Co-Owner, James Fugate recalled a time before they opened an official store, “I had 20 cases of books in my apartment, Tom [Hamilton, co-owner] had 20 in his garage. People rang our doorbells at 9 and 10 in the morning saying, ‘Do you have this book? I gotta have it!” (Aubry). The community desired a place which sold underrepresented books, so Eso Won opened to pollinate the neighborhood with black literature.

However, the heart of the community is being threatened. If you look at the recent news for Los Angeles, you’ll see multiple stories on the construction of a new Metro system which will link LAX airport with multiple new stops across Los Angeles, anticipated to be completed by 2019. The Metro Board of Directors also voted 10 to 1 to approve funding for an underground Leimert Park Station on the forthcoming Crenshaw Line light rail.

As the construction for the new Metro stations begin, the daily lives of residents in this area has changed. The bus route now follows a detour which for now has inconvenienced travelers.
As the construction for the new Metro stations begin, the daily lives of residents in this area has changed. The bus route now follows a detour which is inconveniencing some travelers.

The new Ninety-Sixth Street station will be situated in a better location for connections including to Leimert Park, and it will be an enclosed station with the following features: flight information boards, a place for airline check-ins, bathrooms, Wi Fi service, cell phone charging areas, a drop off area for cars and taxis, multiple ATMS, and many more improvements.

In Leimert Park, many community members saw this as a strategic move because the forthcoming Crenshaw-to-LAX line will allow for greater inter-city connection. Situated in southern Los Angeles, California, Leimert Park is known for its African-American culture. As of a 2008 census, Leimert Park had 12,311 residents in a 1.19 square mile area. The majority of these residents are black, as seen in the pie chart below, and many of the black residents originated from Africa, which allows the community to focus on African and African-American culture (Aubry).

Though Leimert Park is not diverse compared to other areas of Los Angeles, this pie chart shows the concentration of blacks in the area.
This pie chart shows the concentration of blacks in the area, though there is intra-diversity within this population.

Additionally, many of the local business have echoed this cultural diversity for years. Specifically, Degnan Boulevard is home to primarily African-American stores such as Africa by the Yard. This specialty store imports African fabrics and goods, recreating a sense of African culture in Los Angeles. Likewise, there is a shop called Sika, named after shop owner Sika Dwimfo, which sells custom jewelry, African art, and gifts. Towards the end of the street is The World Stage Performance Gallery which specializes in African and black theater. If residents get hungry, they can make their way to Phillips Bar-B-Que or Delicious Southern Cuisine, catering to an African-American plate. All of these stores create a unique community united by their intra-diverse African-American culture.

With the news of renovation many business owners were excited for what this could mean for the community. Over the past five years, several businesses have closed their doors. In particular Zambezi Bazaar did so as a result of the construction, even though they had supported the improved public transportation (Aubry). Like many of the businesses in the area, they sold imported African goods such as jewelry, art, and clothing.  But the inaccessibility to Degnan Boulevard posed a problem for shop owners. When interviewed in 2014, James Fugate, co-owner of Eso Won, was excited for this change on his store’s street. He saw this as an opportunity for businesses to fill the vacant storefronts on Degnan Boulevard, “This is the best news I’ve heard in years. It’s just what this community needs. You can’t have four functional storefronts out of 24, you need five or six serious shops employing 200 to 300 people” (Kaplan). As an active consumer in the community, Fugate recognizes Degnan Boulevard’s economic struggles and appreciates the potential the light rail could provide to Leimert Park. Some people say it takes a village to raise a child, but maybe it takes a community to raise a bookstore.

Over the past few months, construction has begun, and unanticipated issues are rising. Even though the construction will increase foot-traffic and accessibility for L.A. residents and tourists, some of the businesses in the area are struggling to stay open during this transition. Daily life in the community is being disrupted as the rail lines are being built. For example, although many stores are remaining open, but customers no longer have access to parking or sidewalks. While completion of the new Metro lines is anticipated for 2019, the integrity of the Leimert Park community is at stake. If the businesses continue to suffer, Degnan Boulevard stores may not be able to endure the next four years. Without that community, Eso Won would struggle keep its doors open.

As a bookstore, Eso Won cultivates literature and serves as a community center. It provides the space and the means for the black community to not only learn about the diaspora but also their heritage as well. Similar to many ethnic bookstores, Eso Won has faced economic hardships while directing people to relatable stories of their fellow community members. For example, The National Memorial African Bookstore opened in the racial and political turmoil of the mid-1960s Harlem, New York and closed just a few years later, leaving a gaping hole for the African-American culture and community of the city. Similar to the situation in Leimert Park, The National Memorial African Bookstore shut their doors, after an “urban renewal project” that was created to “allegedly infuse cash and create jobs in the economically depressed neighborhood” (Emblidge 274). This dilemma echoes Fugate’s ideals on how the new Metro Line could stimulate the local economy and Eso Won’s community.

From the beginning of their partnership, owners James Fugate and Thomas Hamilton desired a gathering space for the black community. In the late 1980s Fugate managed the Compton College Bookstore in California, which is known for its wide selection of African-American and black authors. But Fugate wanted to take his managerial experience and aspiration of supplying books to those who “need to have them” one step further. He collaborated with like-minded friend, Hamilton and soon they took to the streets and peddled books wherever they could. They sold books by black authors at concerts, community events, and festivals. Feeling as though the black community had been perpetually left out of the conversation, they invited them to join in the narrative. As the demand grew, Fugate and Hamilton recognized the need for a place to bring the community and literature together.

As the co-founders established their plans for a bookstore, they extensively researched a name to represent their ideology of literature. They found the African term “eso won” which means “water over rocks,” and they interpreted it as “a living proverb [which] provides fluid, safe, stirring opportunities that flow to a reservoir of knowledge for all people to experience.” Since African-Americans are often pushed back by whitewashing in society, they strived to construct a space of serenity and discovery. In 1990 Eso Won Books became the opportunity that discovery of knowledge as Fugate and Hamilton created a bookstore with a canon of literature for the community.

Below is a timeline showing key events surrounding Eso Won Books’ history, as well as historical events for the black community and Los Angeles. People flocked to their bookstore because of its definition of literature. Their literature educated the community to the stories of other African-Americans, stories that are not always found in larger chain stores. To further connect with the community, Eso Won invited guest speakers and authors to share their work. Over the years, Eso Won has featured book signings by famous black writers including Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Alice Walker.

One of the notable success stories that Eso Won experienced was Barack Obama’s rise to national attention between the publications of his two memoirs. Although the turnout was not very large at the first signing in 1995, Obama requested a stop at Eso Won Books on his next tour in 2006 after the releasing of his second book The Audacity of Hope. On that day alone Eso Won sold close to one thousand books (Kellogg). Eso Won takes pride in the symbol that Barack Obama stands for in the African-American community.

As seen with President Obama’s political advance, Eso Won showcases guest speakers and their transition to leadership and achievement. These individuals come from different arenas of success, epitomizing the store’s definition of literature. They have had award-winning poets and future presidents, but they have also had figures such as Spike Lee, Tyra Banks, and Muhammad Ali. From the fashion runway to the boxing ring, Eso Won expands the idea of literature to include inspirational stories which are relatable to members of the community.

Eso Won was embraced by Leimert Park community members. Pictured (from left): Firpo Carr, Earl Ofari Hutschison, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Congresswoman Diane Watson, Assemblyman Mark Ridley-Thomas, Tom Hamilton and James Fugate, Kwaku Person-lynn, and Councilman Bernard Parks.
Leimert Park representatives, Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congresswoman Diane Watson, embrace Eso Won co-owners, Thomas Hamilton and James Fugate, as they cut the ribbon and officially move into the neighborhood.

Although the store has moved numerous times in its 25 years of existence, it has done so to continue to serve as a community center. When Eso Won relocated in 2006 to Degnan Boulevard, they were welcomed by Leimert Park with open arms. Similar to other independent businesses across the nation, Eso Won suffered financially during the 2008 recession. In response to economic struggles, they moved down the street in 2012 to their current location,  consolidating from 3,200 square feet to 1,500 square feet (Werris). Despite their hope for economic stimulation from the new Metro Line, they are once again struggling to combat unexpected repercussions.

In the new location there is an open-concept layout, providing space to move, to walk, to sit, and to listen. If you look at photos of the bookstore, you will see a large area in the middle, which can hold multiple rows of chairs, seating at least twenty-five people. Although the store itself is not very wide, the open-concept invites you within. It looks like it could be a small classroom, with the guest speaker acting as the teacher filling the minds of the audience, engaging them with personal accounts and stories.

The bookstore is small and rectangular, like a shoe box. Shoe boxes are easy to stack or slide under something, like a child’s bed. They can become safes, protecting our little treasures, our collections.

Not only does Eso Won share culture with the use of the written word, but also visual arts, as shown through the windows. The windows wall the entrance and prevent the room from becoming crowded, ventilating the narrow store and connecting it to the community outside. The top of the windows displays the faces of three strong black leaders in red and green over the clear bottom half, showing the guiding influence and the widening possibilities.  The colors weave into the store from the windows to the tapestries which hang above the register. The quilted images allows for African-American iconography, inviting guests to imagine themselves full of strength and potential. As seen in the ThingLink, the tapestries, a metal statue, and other Africana things decorate and reflect the African culture, creating a unique space. “[T]hings” is a common word, but as theorist Bill Brown says, “[t]he word designates the concrete yet ambiguous within the everyday” (Brown 4); books have the power to enlighten and bewilder readers as they find their strength and potential. This is particularly true in American black culture, intra-diverse as different nationalities and peoples come together form a united culture. Fugate and Hamilton strive to represent this ambiguous yet united culture through Eso Won’s collection of literature.

This painting epitomizes Eso Won's artistic atmosphere which also creates a welcoming community.
This painting epitomizes how community members come to Eso Won for an educational and social experience.

Personal stories are key to the store. Eso Won is more than a bookseller, it is a story sharing environment. Through Eso Won’s ideology “‘[t]here… [is] more to a bookstore than bestsellers,’ highlighted independents’ pride in their diverse title selections and wide range of services” (Miller 169). The literature of Eso Won is not determined by books that will maximize profit, but rather books that will support the community, as African-Americans relate to the stories and immerse themselves in the culture and the space. Fugate and Hamilton establish “a relationship to objects which does not emphasize their functional, utilitarian value—that is, their usefulness—but studies and loves them as a scene, the stage, of their fate”(Benjamin 61). They see their store as a service to the community and as a place for the people.

Looking at images of the books, it can be difficult to determine an order, but Eso Won has not made itself to be an incredibly strict and organized, as there are no large signs directing you to each genre, but rather authors, ideas, and genres blend together in the common ground of African-American culture. Eso Won does sell bestsellers and the works of celebrities such as Tyra Banks and Barack Obama as well as Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. You can find multiple perspectives and ideas just as you can find Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. being depicted in their children’s literature.

As Eso Won invites guests into their community, they collect keepsakes such as this President Obama bobble head.
As Eso Won invites guests into their community, they have a collection of keepsakes such as this Obama bobble head, maintaining a bond with guests and the community.

 Many of the books sold at Eso Won discuss active citizens just as consumers at Eso Won are active citizens of the community, some are physically inhabitants of Leimert Park, but most are a part of the culture that Eso Won stands for. The store is a part of an “Eat, Shop, Play Crenshaw” Movement, allowing the customers to support the local area and businesses. “[I]ndividuals incorporate some understanding of a social benefit into their consumption habits” (Miller 200). Leimert Park supports the citizen consumer and hopes people will support them as they continue to have a good relationship with the community  in this space for sharing and communication. This store has had an impact on its community because of the relationship individuals have with the space and the books.Eso Won plays a role in the larger picture of the character of Leimert Park, functioning as a place to connect and to educate.

Although Eso Won’s history has shown the store’s resilience, braving financial downfalls and location changes, this bookstore’s future is in jeopardy, as it may not be able to withstand the construction until its projected completion in 2019. It is hard to say what will happen next. If the majority of stores close on Degnan Boulevard, Leimert Park will lose an essential part of the community as those stores, and in particular Eso Won, have served as the bond between the neighborhood and the African-American culture.

Eso Won’s ideology of literature inspired and educated every guest who entered their open doors. Another possibility was presented in a recent article by Catherine Wagley from the LA Weekly. She reported that a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) is rumored to be considering the purchase of Degnan Boulevard storefronts.

At the same time Eso Won may survive the economic transition, continuing to serve Leimert Park. If Eso Won Books were to close, the community would sacrifice the literature brought to life by renowned guests, fusing together individuals with icons of inspiring success. Without Eso Won Leimert Park would lose a symbol of African-American heritage and future potential.

Thomas Hamilton and James Fugate stand outside of their Degnan Boulevard, commemorating 25 years of community relations and education.
Thomas Hamilton and James Fugate stand outside of their Degnan Boulevard, commemorating 25 years of community relations and education.
Citations
Text

Aubry, Erin. Los Angeles Times, 1995.

Benjamin, Walter, and Hannah Arendt. Illuminations. New York: Schocken Books, 1986.

Brown, Bill. Thing Theory. Illinois: The University of Chicago Press, 2001.

Emblidge, David. Rallying Point: Lewis Michaux’s National Memorial African Bookstore. Springer Science and Business Media, LLC, 2008.

Kaplan, Erin Aubry, March 12, 2014.
Miller, Laura. Reluctant Capitalist: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. Print.
Images

How to Sell Books in a Shoe-Box: Eso Won Books

California native, Lewis Buzbee, wrote a memoir titled The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, where he describes his first time in Printers Inc. Upon entry, he says it feels like a bookstore and shaped like a shoe-box, explaining, “One narrow end of the shoe-box opened into the street, and the long, and the long high sides of the store, lined crammed shelves…The shoe-box is a good shape for nearly any retailer” (68). When one first thinks of a shoe-box, the first thing that comes to mind is a rectangle. But maybe a shoe-box store is more than the construction of the wall. Maybe a shoe-box store represents further than Buzbee’s mental image.

An angled view of the store highlighting the length and openness of the layout. (Image 1)
An angled view of the store highlighting the length and openness of the layout. (Image 1)

When I was growing up, I kept a shoe box with keepsakes which were attached with memories I never wanted to forget. I had a purple glittered diary with a broken lock and many spelling errors. I had notes passed from my best friends, detailing the plans for marriage and recess. I even had a hand-drawn thank you card from my first crush, which I was supposed to give to my father for chaperoning. Even though there were fifteen more things in this box, they all represented what I had gone through and where I had come from. And I did everything in my power to preserve my identity through the items in the shoe-box. So in that light Los Angeles based, Eso Won Book’s, provides cultural preservation through their stock of literary keepsakes, selling African-American literature.

Co-owners, James Fugate (pictured) and Thomas Hamilton moved Eso Won Books to Leimert Park in 2006.
Co-owners, James Fugate (pictured) and Thomas Hamilton moved Eso Won Books to Leimert Park in 2006. (Image 2)

From the birth of Eso Won in 1988, owners, James Fugate and Thomas Hamilton, intended to use their store as habitat for African-American culture (Drew). Fugate said, “We concentrate on the wide diversity of books by and about Black people. That makes it far and away more interesting than a lot of mainstream bookstores” (Carter). Fugate notes chain bookstore’s deficits. Since stores like Barnes & Nobles tend to have a huge stock, they also do not have a large diversity of books within minorities. But Eso Won Books targets the largely black population in Los Angeles where Barnes & Nobles targets mass populations across the entire nation.

As the store moved several times over the past twenty years, the owner’s stock never changed in purpose. From Barack Obama to Tyra Banks, Eso Won still stocks titles written by, for, or about African-Americans. And at Eso Won black literature is not a subculture nor is it a genre. Rather it is the stock, preserving African-American culture throughout the years. Importantly, Eso Won extends the definition of culture through novels, history books, cook books, social sciences, children’s books, and has been extended to cds. The floor plan seems to be spread out with a lot of room not only for browsing but for building the community.

During signings and readings, the open floor space becomes a stage and an audience. Foldable chairs are easily set up and taken down.
During signings and readings, the open floor space becomes a stage and an audience. Foldable chairs are easily set up and taken down. (Image 3)

So many of the bookshelves line the walls of the store, creating the maximum amount of room for foot traffic. And even the standing bookshelves in the middle of the store also have a lot of air in between. Families and friends can come together and bond over the shelved books. Likewise as Eso Won prides itself on hosting book signings, readings, and speaker, it has created a layout that will allow for event coordinating. In the back of the store there is a large area that is used for fold up chairs and tables.

 

Upon entering the store, there are shorter display tables and shelves inviting customers within and

Many shoppers enjoy the open layout of the store which allows the friendly owners only a glance away. (Image 3)
Many shoppers enjoy the open layout of the store which allows the friendly owners only a glance away. (Image 4)

opening to the floor plan. The front desk is located relatively upon entry to the side where the co-owners can interact with customers as they enter while monitoring the area. Even though the floor plan doesn’t offer seating or nooks similar to many bookstores, the open area allows for constant interaction with fellow customers and employees, reinforcing the store as a community center.

In the children’s section they stock books spanning from kindergarten reading levels to young adult. Many of these books have been published within the last ten years which shows how they keep their stock up to date. Likewise, many of their books center on empowerment. There is a children’s book on Martin Luther King Jr. and his “I have a dream speech,” which many people do not read until college.

Many of the children's books invite young readers to imagine what life may have been like as a African forced into America or trying to escape slavery like Harriet Tubman.
Many of the children’s books invite young readers to imagine what life may have been like as a African forced into America or trying to escape slavery like Harriet Tubman. (Image 5)

In the same section is a book titled Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X, detailing the childhood of a boy who saw injustice. Even though they are books imaginatively illustrated with short sentence structure, the content impacts past the last page. There are also a lot of books written by female authors (black female authors too), and the books highlight the experiences of young black girls equally empowering both genders.

Likewise, Eso Won Books has a large representation of political books, particularly President Obama and his family. Not only is it in gratitude to the president for hosting a signing at their store, it is also because he represents a milestone in African-American

Eso Won Books focuses on an open area to build their store as a community center. (Image 5)
Eso Won Books focuses on an open area to build their store as a community center. (Image 6)

history. By stocking books centered on black men and women in political power, it spreads equality through literature.

However, many people do not always recognize this ideal. Journalist, Sandy Banks, wrote in the Los Angeles Times “The shelves are a jumble of topics, perspectives and genres: A novel by actor Blair Underwood about a ‘gorgeous sexy actor and former gigolo’ sits next to Slavery, Resistance and Freedom, a collection of historical essays. On the clearance rack, I found Rebellion in Chiapas, an Historical Reader, and a thick tome featuring 600 Hong Kong movie reviews” (Banks). While it may seem as though the store floats from Hollywood to history lessons, what Banks foregoes is the cultural tie connecting these titles. These books coincide through their equal representation of the African-American culture. Besides if Banks had done her homework, she would have seen that most shoe stores don’t serve as cultural sanctuaries. But then again, bookstores are not shoe stores, and they most certainly do not always abide by the standard business norms. As scholar Laura Miller writes in her book, even though the bookstore is in a capitalist system, many booksellers see themselves as cultural deacons, serving to a higher calling than capitalism, and they tend to not work in the field for money (27-28) And in this scenario, Fugate and Hamilton use their store for the conservation of African-American culture, disregarding business norms.

 

According to the Eso Won website, EsoWon  (African for “water over rocks”) is a living  proverb as it provides fluid, safe, stirring opportunities that flow to a reservoir of knowledge for all people to experience. (Image 6)
According to the Eso Won website, EsoWon (African for “water over rocks”) is a living proverb as it provides fluid, safe, stirring opportunities that flow to a reservoir of knowledge for all people to experience. (Image 7)

While walking through the store, books are not the only items kept to remind themselves of their own lived history and the history of their forefathers. Fugate and Hamilton have kept trinkets from visitors and their own Eso Won Books memorabilia. Likewise, they have decorated the store with items that will connect customers with the store’s purpose. There are hand-made quilts draping from the ceiling, sewn with historical scenes. And there are stone statues welcoming customers as they come in. With the first step customers face a history that may or may not be theirs, but Fugate and Hamilton have allowed anyone access to their own memory box of what they treasure.

Within the decade, Fugate and Hamilton began selling CDs as their customers requested another taste of African American culture.
Within the decade, Fugate and Hamilton began selling CDs as their customers requested another taste of African American culture. (Image 8)

Whether or not Eso Won Books store is rectangular shaped like a shoe-box, this store serves as a collection of African-American culture. Fugate and Hamilton provide this space as a cultural habitat, constantly growing and changing as time continues. With the support of the community, this store will continue to represent the African-American culture day by day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For a deeper look into Eso Won Books, view this video.

 

 

Citations:

Text

Banks, Sandy

Buzbee, Lewis, The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop

Drew, Theresa

Miller, Laura, Reluctant Capitalists

Piccalo, Gina

 

 

Images

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Image 7

Image 8