Digging Deep 

Bookstores are kind of like people. When we meet a person for the first time, our intitial response to them is determined by the way they look, but at our grown age, we know that a person holds so much more in their inner world that we have to engage with to explore. People know bookstores sell books. That’s there surface level purpose. When someone walks into a bookstore for the first time, especially into an independent bookstore, they are greeted with the intricately thought out interior of the store that holds much more information about the environment the booksellers tried to create. I’ve discussed in previous blog posts how the location and community the bookstore exists in plays a major role in what book community they want to create within that neighborhood.  

Café Con Libros of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York is a small female afro-latinx owned intersectional feminist bookstore that has a clear mission as for their book community. Kamila Desuze, the owner of Café Con Libros, is determined to establish an accessible and diverse book community in Crown Heights. Desuze believes education should be an accessible priority for every child, and makes a point to sell books at lower prices, so that children can enjoy reading. She prides herself on her creation of her Feminist Book club and Womxn of Color Book Club that meet once a month. There’s clearly a theme in terms of culture and involvement in activism within this bookstore. Their marketing is direct, because their message is clear. Miller says, “The technique of branding tries to distill the most important aspects of a product into a few easily remembered themes or slogans,” (188). Feminsim and the representation of People of Color in literature are repetive themes in Café Con Libros’ branding, and in turn, their book community can grow and gather quickly. The inside of this bookstroe refelcts their mission and is set up in a rather cozy way considering the small size of the actual storefront. In a way, Café Con Libros looks like a hole in a wall, but a nice comfortable one, one that a mouse would make its shelter. There are large windows on the storefront letting in ample amounts of natural light that flood over the highlighted titles tables at the front of the store. They are small circle tables that display the highlighted titles of the time that are selected by the bookseller. There are shelves by the windows that carry various titles and genres. On the right hand side of the shop there is the children’s section and merch displayed. On the left side you’ll find the main collection that includes books of all genres, including books aimed to spread the message of representation that the store wants to spread. At the back of the store is where the Café in Café Con Libros comes in. There’s an espresso bar and counter top set up in a way that looks welcoming and unlike a Starbucks, for example. The backroom is left of the coffee bar.  

The whole store is made up of only those parts. When you walk in, it feels like you are walking into somebody’s home or personal collection. The shevles are not overcrowded, so customers can see all of the titles and covers before selecting a book. The small space of the bookstore resembles someone’s living room and feels especially welcoming and is like a close community when you’re being offered a cappuccino upon entering. The book clubs are held in the store. They grab miscellaneous chairs and circle up to discuss the book of the month. It feels very much like a group of close friends, and I’m sure that most of them become just that. Book store owners like Kalima Desuze are “inspired by the location around the bookstore and the traditions of each respective community,” (Miller 192). Upon looking at the article by McLaughlin, “The 9 Most Beautiful Bookstores in The World” I decided that Café Con Libros probably wouldn’t be included. Café Con Libros is missing the grandure most of the bookstores present to customers. Those bookstires had archeticutual elements that would be odd to find in Crown Heights Brooklyn and doesn’t speak much about the community there. Café Con libros looks very much like every other storefront in New York City, but the energy fostered behind those doors is what counts. The work put into discussing what books they should carry, where to place those books in such a confined place, finding the balance between running and bookshop and small coffee shop all affect the customer’s experience without them necessarily knowing. Café Con Libros isn’t located on a beautiful selcuded moutain top, or have a futuristic mirrored ceiling, but they have a close-knit community that is accurately depicted by the choices made in terms of interior design. The close quarters of this bookstore remind me of the message of inclusion and love that Café Con Libros is determined to spread around Brooklyn. The bookstore is far too small to create a specific and ideal traffic pattern for customers, but Café Con Libros makes a point of setting up their bookshelves and espresso machine in a way where you can see everything at once. The whole store is at your fingertips, which may attract a number of customers.  

One thing I find interesting about this bookstore in particular is the lack of seating. Every other element of the space feels so cozy, but without chairs customers are quickly reminded that Café Con Libros is more store than hangout space, which is fine because it is a business and businesses need paying costomers more than friendly passersby. Café Con Libros executed a leisurely shopping experience, but not a place to loiter, which is the best option in terms of business. They created a comforting atmosphere in the midst of monetary exchanges.  

Avid readers in particular, understand how to explore interiority and how to appreciate all of what’s hidden. Booksellers have a love for books that is expressed in the way they present their stores. The outside world, meaning neighborhood of the store, and its frequentors are only a part of the bookstore as a whole. The way booksellers choose to display their books on the shelves they chose where to place in the stores layout, are all important to the bookstore environment. What makes Café Con Libros stand out as an independent bookstore is its ability to hold such a vast community within the confined space of the city’s bookstore. The inside of Café Con Libros refelcts the community of Crown Heights on the outside in the most positive way. That strong connection between inner and outer worlds makes a bookstore into its own.  

Below is a floor layout of Café Con Libros:

https://www.thinglink.com/card/1775975790219887269

Work Cited 

Thinglink. “Create Unique Experiences with Interactive Images, Videos & 360° Media.” ThingLink, www.thinglink.com/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023. 

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

McLaughlin, Katherine. “The 9 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World.” Architectural Digest, Architectural Digest, 23 June 2023, www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/most-beautiful-bookstores-slideshow. 

“Literary Hub.” Literary Hub, lithub.com/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023. 

SACMedia, sac.media/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.