Molly’s Books and Records: The Essence of a Home in a Store

Nestled in the heart of Little Italy, Philadelphia, Molly’s Books and Records blurs the line between business and home. When a customer steps inside Molly’s Books and Records, they are made to feel as though they are stepping into the living room of someone else’s home—in this case, Molly Russakoff and her family’s home. So, how does Molly’s Books and Records create a relationship with its customers guests that transcends standard customer experience and standard business transactions? The answer to this question is weaved in the subtle details of the store’s home’s floor plan, interior design, and book and non-book item displays. 

This metaphorical entryway continues into the building, where guests are promptly greeted by Molly Russakoff, her husband and co-business owner Joe Ankenbrand, and her son and store-manager Johnny Russakoff. At a glance, guests may notice several hand-painted signs² hanging from the ceiling that signal the different sections in the space, such as Art & Sciences, Local Interests, and Cookbooks just to name a few. Additionally, they may take notice of the lighting, which is a bright fluorescence that emits from a variety of overhead lights, like LED strip-lights and paper-shade pendant lights. While bright fluorescence can potentially make environments feel cold and unnatural, the variety of lights and shades in the space helps create dimension where mood lighting is absent. Also, the colorful flooring contributes to a more positive atmosphere in the store; it also neutralizes the coolness of the bright fluorescent lighting. 

Taking a few steps inside of the space, guests brush-up against a wall that displays three different media: CDs, records, and poetry books. Again, consider one of Pyne’s fundamentals for book displays, in which displays must convey meaning (33). According to Molly Russakoff, CDs and records are displayed towards the front of the store because customers are most interested in them. Still, why include poetry in this mix? What kind of message does Russakoff convey with this display? In my interpretation, these poetry books belong with these CDs and records. Why? For the simple fact that poetry is considered the intersection of music and books, and this store is also an intersection of ideas and different media. Thus, this display of CDs, records, and poetry books helps shape the intersectional identity of Molly’s Books and Records.

Walking further past the entryway, guests step into a metaphorical living room, in which records fill the center space³ and fiction books line the wall⁴ furthest from the entrance. For many households, the core of a home is the living room, as it often is a place for sharing conversation and space. Similarly, this metaphorical living room where fiction books and records face one another creates a sense of shared conversation and space. Nevertheless, I cannot claim that the core of Molly’s Books and Records is this metaphorical living room, as the heart of this home is reserved elsewhere within these four walls. In between this living room and the heart of this home, Russakoff dedicates an alcove to local and non-fiction books, as well as art, philosophy, and religious books. Here, Molly’s Books and Records connects with its guests and builds community through books related to human experiences and diverse perspectives. 

Past this alcove, guests step into the heart of this home, which is a room dedicated to gastronomy like kitchens⁵. To understand why this room is the heart of Molly’s Books and Records, it is important to acknowledge the Italian roots of this home’s location in Little Italy, Philadelphia. According to Pamela Forsythe in the Broad Street Review’s “The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia: History, Culture, People, and Ideas” article, gastronomy was the core for Italian-immigrant culture and identity. Even decades later, the significance of foodways in Italian culture and identity perseveres today, as Little Italy is one of the most cherished outdoor-marketplaces in Philadelphia. Inspired by this location’s relationship with foodways, Russakoff began collecting cookbooks and food writings. Currently, as Abigail Weils notes in “There’s No Place in Philly Quite Like Molly’s Books and Records,” this collection is dense and vast, and the books on the shelves seem to almost overflow in their untidy condition. This abundance of books loudly echoes the history and gastronomic-identity of the neighborhood.

When a guest feels satisfied with their stay and they begin to retreat back towards the front door, they may once more encounter Molly Russakoff, Joe Ankenbrand, and Johnny Russakoff at the check-out booth⁶. Here, one might notice that the special-edition books are placed out-of-reach on tall shelves behind the counter. This accessibility distinction between general books and valuable books is comparable to fine China often displayed in exclusive, out-of-reach storage. Additionally, guests may observe that there are several non-book items displayed, such as community-news flyers, superstitious or religious decorations, and store merchandise. Although these books and non-books may appear unrelated, Peter Miller in “How Objects Speak” reminds us to view “things and practices as exquisite bearers of identity, not simply as tools or products; not ‘outputs’ but as essences” (11).

This blog post represents Miller’s metaphysical philosophy, in which objects become active participants in the essence of concepts, such as business and home. For example, we examined how displays and organizations contributed to the perceived identity of Molly’s Books and Records; specifically, one that is an intersection of different media. Moreover, interpreting the store’s floor plan as rooms in a home allows us to analyze how consumers experience and interact with the space around them. With this newfound insight, we can now understand how Molly’s Books and Records blurs the threshold between a business and a home.