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.”

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/.