Harriet’s Bookshop: Where Every Page Breathes Connection

Harriet’s Bookshop: Where Every Page Breathes Connection

In the heart of Philadelphia, a literary haven stands as a testament to the power of curated experiences and the beauty of shared connections. Harriet’s Bookshop, founded by the visionary Jeannine Cook, goes beyond the conventional bookstore archetype. The moment one steps inside, they are enveloped in an immersive journey—a sanctuary interwoven with narratives, history, and the echoes of societal change.

In 2022, Cook appeared on and was interviewed on the Kelly Clarkson Show, and described her store in the following way, “And when you walk in, you’re literally inside of a book,” (Harriet’s Bookshop on Facebook.com). These words encapsulate the very essence of the space—a convergence of curated pages, art, and purpose. Every element, every single thing that catches your eye is meticulously arranged, put there for a reason, and reflects a deliberate intent to foster connection and exploration of the stories portrayed in the books on display.

The inception of Harriet’s and the space that it would end up being wasn’t just a dream realized; it was a journey marked by challenges and creativity. Jeannine Cook drew upon her resourcefulness that she had developed from years of teaching and making classrooms out of any space she was provided, with anything she could get her hands on. In an interview with Cook from Take Creative Control, Cook talked about how initially overwhelming it was when she first entered the blank canvas that would become Fishtown’s literature sanctuary. She was met with blank purple and green walls and broken floor, but still persevered, “I had to visualize what it could be…it was just not right. But I was like ‘Ok, I can make it work’ cuz, like, I’ve had classrooms that were in old closets. So I was like ‘We can change this around, we can make it work,” (Take Creative Control, “Owning Our Own Spaces”). 

The outcome of her resourcefulness, akin to her role model and inspiration for the store herself, Harriet Tubman, created a space intentionally open, inviting visitors to wander through shelves that aren’t just filled with books but infused with a story—a story of activism, art, and social progress. “‘I needed a certain kind of space, and if you come into the bookshop you can feel the kind of bookshop it is. It’s not crowded–I like space,’” (Take Creative Control).

As the door swings open when you first cross the threshold of the giant black and white sign adorning the front of the shop, a perfect picture of pages unfolds before you. The room is a canvas brought straight out of the pages of a book, the walls adorned with the black outlines reminiscent of drawings and illustrations. There’s a small reading nook moving further inside, and you notice that every single item and furniture piece, from the chairs to the doors, exudes meticulous detail. Art from community artists find a home on the shelves alongside the books, whose covers are works of art, themselves.

Image taken from @ciciadams on TikTok

Turning to your immediate right, your gaze is drawn to one of many quotes from famous authors painted onto the walls, each exuding wisdom and insight. Nestled within these celebrated words, the poignant presence of the poem “American Heartbreak” by Langston Hughes adds a layer of emotional resonance to the atmosphere.

"I am the American Heartbreak–
The rock on which freedom stumped its toe–
The great mistake that Jamestown made
Long Ago" - Langston Hughes, "American Dream: 1619"

Continuing into the store you notice the books living on the shelves, a continuing rotation of different authors and titles throughout the months. The emphasis is unmistakably on Black women authors, their names boldly emblazoned, their faces adorning book covers and framed portraits on the walls, evoking a profound sense of recognition and celebration. The unique aspect of Harriet’s lies not only in its collection of books but in its curated experience.

Cook characterizes Harriett’s as a fusion of a bookstore, an art gallery, and a monument, where renowned works by Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and Zora Neale Hurston are consistently showcased. However, the inventory undergoes monthly transformations resembling curated exhibitions, meticulously aligned with the store’s merchandise and interior design. Each month, a thematic focus emerges, such as the recent emphasis on reparations, featuring books like Olúfẹmi O. Táíwò’s “Reconsidering Reparations,” Michael Albertus’s “Property Without Rights,” and Natalie Baszile’s “We Are Each Other’s Harvest.” The aim is to foster a shared language and actionable steps toward new ideas by month-end (OprahDaily.com).

Pictured to the right is a tweet from the shop’s official twitter showcasing some of the books currently available that go with the shop’s current them of “Reparations”.

These spaces transcend mere retail; they are immersive experiences and reflections of the world envisioned by Cook, demonstrating its significance and worth. Visitors on Sundays enjoy perusing the shelves while a live choir fills the air with some of Harriet Tubman’s beloved spirituals. In January, local musician Veronica Hudson mesmerized patrons with vibraphone melodies within the store. The store’s basement, named the “underground,” offers a unique browsing experience—a dimly lit room navigated by candlelight, paying homage to ancestors who had to conceal their reading. There are also designated days for silent browsing, inviting contemplative engagement with the literature (OprahDaily.com).

The cubed shelves at Harriet’s – Image taken from Penguinrandomhouse.com

These displays aren’t just collections of books; they are thematic focuses that prompt dialogue, action, and enlightenment. Recent months have seen an emphasis on reparations, where patrons engage in a dialogue that is both enlightening and actionable. The shelves at Harriet’s house more than just books; they are adorned with colorful and meaningful clutter that seem to transcend the typical image of what a “bookshelf” can be. Lydia Pyne describes a bookshelf as follows, “Every bookshelf has its own unique life history…[it] speaks for its own cultural context. Bookshelves are dynamic, iterative objects that cue us to the social values we place on books and how we think books ought to be read,” (Pyne, 2). The way Harriet’s shows its books perfectly captures what a bookshelf should do; they draw you in with their unique hand-drawn appearance, but never take away from the Prescence of the books themselves. The cubed shelves act almost like frames showcasing art in a museum, as Cook has compared the shop to before, (Pyne, Bookshelf).

Harriet’s transcends the role of a mere bookstore; it’s an experience, a cultural exploration. Sundays resonate with the soulful harmony of live choirs, paying homage to Harriet Tubman’s spirit. Local musicians grace the space with melodies that enrich the collective experience of all who visit. Even the “underground” space, softly lit and candlelit, pays homage to ancestors who sought solace in hidden literacy, and payes symbolic homage to the hidden literacy of ancestors. It not only adds to the ambiance but stands as a silent tribute to resilience and the power of knowledge in the face of adversity. Within these walls, every book, every quote, every event, and every plant-covered nook isn’t just a decorative element—it’s a thread in the tapestry of connection that defines Harriet’s Bookshop. Jeannine Cook’s unwavering dedication to creating a space that blends literature, art, and history is the heartbeat that resonates through this haven for the curious, the seekers, and the dreamers.

The commitment to fostering connections and enriching lives goes beyond the tangible—serving as a sanctuary for shared understanding and a reflection of Cook’s aspirational world. Every event, every curated display, and every book finds a place in this mosaic of cultural celebration and intellectual dialogue. In essence, Harriet’s Bookshop stands not just as a space where books are sold but as a sacred ground where connections are forged, where societal narratives are interwoven, and where every visitor becomes part of a larger, collective journey through the human experience.


Resources

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.

“Harrietts Bookshop on Instagram: ‘Everything in the Shop Is 50% off (except the Rihanna Books-Stop Playing, You Know Those Aren’t 50% off) from 12-6 Pm. Today (June 30th) Is the Last Day to Shop at Harriett’s before We Close for the Summer to Build Josephine’s Bookshop in Paris. Our Sister Shop @idas_bookshop Will Remain Open in Collingswood and Your Harriett’s Gift Cards Will Be Honored There. We Are Still Open 24/7 Online and Available for Bulk Orders at Info@harriettsbookshop.Com.’” Instagram, www.instagram.com/p/CuHPL1GOO0d/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Harriett’s Bookshop Owner Jeannine Cook Says Connection Is at the Root …, www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a39186848/jeannine-cook-harrietts-bookshop/. Accessed 2 Nov. 2023.

Harriett’s Bookshop Owner Jeannine Cook Says Connection Is at the Root …, www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a39186848/jeannine-cook-harrietts-bookshop/. Accessed 2 Nov. 2023.

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

Login • Instagram, www.instagram.com/harrietts_bookshop/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Poitevien, Jessica. “This Philadelphia Bookstore Honors Harriet Tubman’s Legacy with Literature, Art, and Activism.” Travel + Leisure, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2022, www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/harrietts-bookshop-philadelphia.

Popova, Maria. “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/.

Pyne, Lydia. Bookshelf. Bloomsbury Academic, 2019.

Sasko, Claire. “The Coolest Addition to Philly’s Indie Bookshop Scene Is Opening in Fishtown.” Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, 17 Jan. 2020, www.phillymag.com/news/2020/01/17/harrietts-bookshop-fishtown/.

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

“Thank You Kelly Clarkson for the Opportunity to Share Our Story on Daytime Television. We Are Open Everyday from 12-6 Pm at 258 E. Girard Ave. in…: By Harriett’s Bookshop.” Facebook, www.facebook.com/harriettsbooks/videos/3218513215030689/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@ciciadams_/video/7201164512177720619. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Winberg, Michaela. “She Was Told Not to Open a Black-Owned Bookstore in Fishtown. She’s Doing It Anyway.” Billy Penn at WHYY, 17 Jan. 2023, billypenn.com/2020/01/18/she-was-told-not-to-open-a-black-owned-bookstore-in-fishtown-shes-doing-it-anyway/.

The “Lived-In” Vibe of Molly’s Books & Records

The “Lived-in” Vibe of Molly’s Books & Records

Molly’s Books & Records invites customers to discover a combination of personal and public interests that create the spatial narrative of a home. Outside of the shop, there are tables of assorted books and cheap records. The tables create somewhat of a tunnel that surrounds passersby, acting as a kind of bookish “landscaping”. Molly’s is situated in Philly’s Italian Market, and the tables outside closely resemble the food stalls of the vendors in the neighborhood.

The inside of the 600-square-foot store is split into three general sections. The first section is the busiest and functions most like a family/living room, the hub of all household activity. When you walk in, the rightmost wall has a small section for CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes. Past that are more records and a small poetry section. These three areas lead up to the Ankebrands’ apartment door. On your left is the sales counter, and past that a long wall of fiction. These areas all form the walls of a rectangle with the main record area right in its middle. The sales counter closes off the left side of the store from those coming in, directing the traffic flow in a counterclockwise loop. There is a small rare/valuable books section behind the counter, a way of keeping precious items near a kind of ‘home base’.

The outside of Molly’s Books & Records. There are tables of books, records, and other media on the sidewalk. There are signs on the door and in the window. There are also many books facing out of the front window. This photo portrays the personality of Molly’s store and some of the various shelving techniques Molly has used to display her items.

The second section of Molly’s begins with two categories: Local and Philosophy/Religion. This section forms a rectangular alcove that has nonfiction books to the right and art to the left. The “Local” section reflects a piece of the community that Molly’s is a part of, acknowledging its place in a neighborhood with various interests. The Philosophy/Religion section also reflects the diverse audience that the family invites into their ‘home’.

The final section is another alcove that Molly deems the “Cookbook Room”. It is interesting that Molly herself refers to this section as a room since the store has an open layout. This implies that she sees the shop as a kind of living space as well, with different ‘rooms’ of different subjects. The cookbook room acts as a kind of separate zone from the rest of the store as it is the only space dedicated to one subject category. This section is a defining feature of Molly’s Books & Records. As the final destination in the store, it is a focal point, placed at the back so customers walk through the entire store to reach it.


Click here to view the accessible version of this interactive content

Molly places emphasis on organization, maneuverability, and cleanliness in her shop. These qualities are similar to those people try to create in their homes. Because of the open layout, customers do not have a choice of where to walk, increasing the feeling that they are entering a space that is not entirely subject to their whims. Molly acknowledges her desire to make the shop feel like coming into a home. She achieves this vibe with the simple layout of the store, easy to navigate but also slightly cluttered, giving a ‘lived-in’ kind of feeling. The books are arranged in alphabetical order to help customers browse, but the shelves are cluttered. Molly said this organization has been pretty consistent over time. This hearkens back to the idea of an inhabited space rather than a commercial business, since people do not constantly change their living spaces.

The lighting of the store is fluorescent, an economic choice Molly made for her business (“It needs to be bright”). She stresses the idea of having a “welcoming and friendly” attitude toward customers. In this way, the family does cater to their ‘guests’. They try to stock books that are popular with their audience even if they are not personal favorites. This is reminiscent of a host’s duty to accommodate the guests who visit their house. In fact, Molly stated that they used to hold events in the store, such as weekly poetry readings. This shows the purpose of the shop’s open layout, which is meant to act as a communal space for people to gather rather than a private one.

Molly surrounded by the walls of her bookstore. This photo depicts the idea I have been describing, of a bookstore/house. We can see the cluttered but neat look of the shelves, and Molly personally going through some of her cookbook stock.

Molly has a clear vision of what she wants her store’s narrative to be. She has made personal choices not to sell books online as it takes them away from the shelves and overcomplicates the selling process. Online bookselling does not align with the “what you see is what you get” transparency of the home environment she has created, so they did not continue to do it. The shop also used to accept donations, but received too many items that “didn’t belong on the shelves”. Molly’s is a public shop that sells personally curated used goods. They want to communicate this feeling of personal touch and interest through their store’s inventory. The lights and bookshelves vary across the shop, again communicating an organic feel. The bookshelves themselves appear to be made of a raw material that contrasts the smooth, polished look of chain bookstores.

There are various non-book items throughout the store. Molly sells store merchandise such as mugs and t-shirts, which are placed near/behind the sales counter. She also draws notecards with illustrations from old children’s books that appear to be displayed near the sales counter as well. Molly handpainted all of the signs that hang from the ceiling notifying customers where each section is. The shop even has a pet cat, Mrs. Stevenson, another addition that makes Molly’s feel like a regular homestead.

In fact, the shop seems to have parts that belong to each family member. Upon entering the store, the CDs, records, and poetry straight ahead represent Johnny, Joe, and Molly. Going straight back, customers next come across the local section, which metaphorically represents the Italian Market community. The other literature sections reflect different facets of personal life: religion, philosophy, fiction, nonfiction, and the arts. These things can all hold stories, memories, and meanings, just like a personal library.

From left to right: Joe Ankenbrand, Molly Russakoff, Johnny Russakoff, Mrs. Stevenson the cat. This picture shows the family in their bookstore, a place they have turned into a second home.

The main spatial narrative that all of these elements project is that of a community/home that emphasizes literature as a shared experience. You are reminded of this through the cookbook room in the back of the store, which acts as a reminder of and homage to the location of the store. The door to the family’s apartment reminds you how the owners are directly connected to the store and subsequently the surrounding community. Rather than a commercial space, they wish to tell the story of a communal ‘home’. Molly’s merchandise allows customers to become even more a part of this ‘home’. Also, the simple fact that the shop only carries used products suggests a narrative of the arts as a shared activity. There is a place for each family member, but also one for each customer.

Through this narrative with their shelves and items, Molly’s Books & Records “…speaks to its own cultural context” (Pyne). The bookstore merges the unique surrounding area of the Italian Market with the family members’ personal focuses, using community serving as the bridge between them. Pyne also asserts that bookshelves “…radiate personal identity and institutional purpose” (Pyne). This is particularly true in the case of Molly’s: the family has continued to find harmony between reflecting their own tastes and styles in their store and also appealing to those ‘guests’ that frequent it. At the end of the day, Molly’s is still a business and has to make some compromises for the sake of sustainability. However, the shop’s narrative has allowed it to function as more than just a space to purchase items, but a comfortable place to create a personal and public conversation around them.

Images

B., Patrick. Yelp, 9 Mar. 2019, https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=D-jiokMHHKwAYQDjXvGa7g. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

C., Bri. Yelp, 31 July 2022, https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=_hDaBMI9RDKwfe0JXcbr9A. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

C., Bridget. Yelp, 9 Jul. 2016, https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=D-jiokMHHKwAYQDjXvGa7g. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

C., C. Google Reviews, 2023. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

C., Marietta. Yelp, 9 Dec. 2018, https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=D-jiokMHHKwAYQDjXvGa7g. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

C., Marietta. Yelp, 9 Dec. 2018, https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/mollys-books-and-records-philadelphia?select=D-jiokMHHKwAYQDjXvGa7g. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Fletcher, MJ. Google Reviews, 2022. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Henninger, Mark. Google Reviews, 2018. Accessed 1 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/.

Nova, Super. Google Reviews, 2022. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Piserchio, Natalie. Eater Philadelphia, 13 Dec. 2021, https://philly.eater.com/2021/12/13/22820597/mollys-books-records-italian-market-bookstore-cookbooks. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Shifman, Jay. Google Reviews, 2023. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Soifer, Alejandro. Google Reviews, 2016. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Williams, Eric. Google Reviews, 2016. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Other Citations

Floor Plan, courtesy of Molly Russakoff.

Pyne, Lydia. Bookshelf. Bloomsbury, 2016.

Russakoff, Molly. Video conference interview. Conducted by Lexie Kauffman et al., 28 Oct. 2023.

Thinglink. “Create Unique Experiences With Interactive Images, Videos & 360 Media.” ThingLink, www.thinglink.com/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Molly’s Books & Records: A Historical Account of the Bookstore in Bella Vista

Molly’s Books & Records: A Historical Account of the Bookstore in Bella Vista

Molly’s Books & Records is an independent bookstore in the Italian Market of South Philly, an area teeming with restaurants, butcheries, and cheese shops. The bookstore’s collection of cookbooks fits well into its diverse culinary surroundings. However, the store and its owner, Molly Russakoff, greatly predate the establishment of that section. To get the full picture, we need to start…

In the 1880s, when Italian immigrant Antonio Palumbo opened a boarding house in what we now know as the Bella Vista area (“History”). This Philadelphia neighborhood was a hot spot for Italian immigration, with tens of thousands of Italians moving there in the late 1800s and early 1900s (“The Italian”). With such a large number of Italian immigrants in one area, Palumbo’s business was only the first in a line of succeeding establishments that would contribute to the creation of the official Ninth Street Curbside Market. A historical account of the area suggests that “[f]oodways strengthened Italian identity”, an idea enforced by the immigrants’ creation of a market focusing on Italian cuisine. Curb markets were popular at this time because “[t]hey offered an immediate and economical outlet for food products and related merchandise” (Tangires). This helped residents combat food insecurity during WWI (“History”).

“Philadelphia’s working poor gathered to purchase their essentials, leaving the high-tone shopping districts of Center City to those with greater economic means”(Explorepahistory.com).

By the mid-1900s, people began to refer to the Ninth Street Market as the “Italian Market” due to the prominence of Italian businesses it hosted (Tangires). This name remains a common title for the area today. However, this large population of Italian residents would soon be joined by a variety of other immigrants following WWII. It was common with curbside markets for owners to live above their business (Explorepahistory.com). When this trend became obsolete and space freed up, a new wave of immigrants from various places moved in, creating a more diverse market space (Tangires). The first Korean-owned establishment opened in the neighborhood in 1983. This opening was followed by various other Asian and Mexican businesses. This influx of immigrants from different nationalities diversified the Bella Vista area. The market spread out from its initial base on 9th Street, and the neighborhood became even more rooted in the “immigrant experience” (Explorepahistory.com). 

Old pictures of the Italian Market that reflect a popular, bustling food community. In one photo, there appear to be both Italian and American flags hanging off of buildings, representing the fusion of both cultures in the Italian Market.

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museums Commission dedicated a marker to the market in 2007 (“History”), which “certified a rich heritage but also reflected the curb market on Ninth Street as a tourist destination…” (Tangires). The market has fed into this idea, establishing a visitor center in 2012(“Change”). There has also been an increase in high-end businesses in the neighborhood, a reflection of this new audience that visits the market for recreation over necessity (“The Ninth”).

Today, Bella Vista boasts a vast array of food businesses from various backgrounds. Its Italian population has greatly diminished, but there are still many Italian businesses that remain a part of the area (“Change”). The contemporary Italian Market serves as a cultural hub of independent businesses centered around global cuisine (Tangires).

“Diversity became a key feature said to distinguish the independents from chain booksellers” (Miller 84).

This development of the Italian Market has created a wide audience of both regular customers and passing tourists that benefit all businesses in the neighborhood, including Molly’s Books & Records (“Molly’s”). 

The store’s founder, Molly Russakoff, has lived in the Italian Market area for around 43 years (DeMuro). She is a third-generation bookseller and a poet, so she has deep ties to the literary world. Molly did not purchase the land for the store until 2000. She has opened and subsequently closed various businesses on this land: Molly’s Cafe, Bella Vista Natural Foods, and Molly’s Cafe and Bookstore. When this last venture ended and Russakoff was in the process of opening a new bookstore, this time with the addition of records, she met/began working with her now-husband, Joe Ankenbrand. Molly’s Books & Records eventually opened in 2009. Russakoff and Ankenbrand were married in the bookstore, which they live above. There was a companion outlet store on Passyunk Avenue, a street away from the central location, but it was only open for a year and a half before the couple decided to close it.

Molly’s Bookstore, photographed by Google Maps in July 2007. This is the oldest available photo of the street on Google Maps. The front of the store is covered by some kind of barricade with illegible signs on top. We cannot see to the left of the store. To the right is Fante’s kitchen supply shop.

Bella Vista Natural Foods, photographed by Google Maps in August 2009. We can now clearly see the front of the store, which has a new sign. The storefront is made up of a collage of shiny material. There doesn’t seem to be a business on the left side of the store. Fante’s is still to the right.

Mollys Books & Records, photographed by Google Maps in April 2023. This is the most recent available photo of the street. The storefront is still shiny, and there is another new sign. There is now an outside display of records and a new business to the left of the storefront. Fante’s sign has moved out of the frame.

Russakoff and Ankenbrand embody the consumer ideas independent booksellers are best known for. One of the ways they do so is by limiting their online presence. Their last Facebook post was in 2018, their Instagram only features record finds, and their website domain is currently up for sale. This lack of exposure contrasts greatly with popular contemporary bookselling which has been rationalized through the attempt to provide the sovereign consumer with infinite options online (Miller 57). Russakoff and Ankenbrand are also committed to staying interconnected with the other neighborhood businesses. In an interview, Ankenbrand acknowledges that “[t]here’s something kind of indescribable about the personal connection that we feel with the other people on the street…[w]e try to support all of the other merchants as much as possible” (DeMuro). This idea of a mutual relationship between local independent businesses calls back to the original Italian Market. One of the contributing factors to the Market’s survivability was its vendors’ “…strong and persistent network of social and economic relationships” (Tangires). Russakoff and Ankenbrand continue to strengthen this network today. Ankenbrand acknowledged that they usually buy any supplies they need for the store at Italian Market businesses (DeMuro). After getting married, they went down the street to eat at Villa di Roma, a local Italian restaurant.

“True books are sold by the enthusiasm of those who know them and respect them. And that enthusiasm must express itself by word of mouth to count” (MacLeish and Roosevelt 13).

One way that the bookstore differs from the stereotypical independent bookstore image is through its refusal to impose an aura of eliteness onto its customers. Ankenbrand states their intent to “…treat every customer like their wants are respected”. This is partly in the face of the large tourist population within the area, which brings in a variety of customers that may be casual readers and music listeners (DeMuro). They place an emphasis on comfortability, something that many chain stores have utilized to win out over independents.

The bookstore again recalls an earlier Italian Market through its status as a family business. Molly, her son Johnny, and Joe make up the shop’s staff. Although Molly’s is an inside store, it holds sidewalk sales where large amounts of books and records are placed outside of the store at discounted prices, similar to the stalls of market vendors. 

The Molly’s Books & Records family photo: Joe Ankenbrand, Molly Russakoff, Molly’s son Johnny, and the bookstore cat, Mrs. Stevenson. Molly’s is a family-run business, much like the original business owners of the Italian Market neighborhood.

Many independent bookstores do not have the luxury of relying purely on their own interests anymore. They are competing with bigger stores that have wider selections and cheaper prices, and Molly even had to close her previous bookstore as a result of this harsh competition (Amorosi). Despite this, Ankenbrand describes the 9th Street area as “friendly…profitable..[and] multi-cultural” (DeMuro). The couple are on close terms with their top customers and even take their requests into consideration when searching for new additions to their stock.

“Businesses continue to operate in an old world fashion while recognizing current consumer trends” ("History").

Molly’s Books & Records is in a destination area, which serves as more of a sightseeing trip for tourists than a residential space. There is a diverse consumer base for local businesses made up of “local shoppers, gourmet cooks, restaurant suppliers, and tourists” (Tangires). Similar to Gotham Book Mart’s nearby theater population that kept the bookstore alive in Wise Men Fish Here, Molly’s is supported by the Italian Market’s environment (Rogers 76). However, Russakoff and Ankenbrand don’t seem to feed into the idea of the sovereign consumer as “superior” that Miller discusses in Reluctant Capitalists, or to hold the somewhat elitist view associated with handselling (Miller 67, 79). They seem to fall somewhere in the middle. Their interests are expressed through their stock, but they also work to serve their customers’ tastes. This dynamic reflects a positive depiction of booksellers as “…concerned facilitators of meaningful consumption rather than…merchants performing the hard sell” (80). 

A picture of the cookbook section shelves in Molly’s Books & Records shows the wide variety of cuisine represented through unique secondhand finds.

Although Molly’s Books & Records has only known the Bella Vista neighborhood as a center for global cuisine and culture, it has adapted to this environment in a profitable manner. Both Molly and her husband Joe conduct their business in a way reminiscent of the original Italian Market stall owners. This combination of personality, diversity, and a touch of economic mindfulness has enabled the Market, and subsequently Molly’s, to traverse a constantly changing contemporary retail landscape. Molly’s carries a large range of products that will appeal to a wide audience reflective of its neighborhood’s diverse population. There are rare finds that may appeal to the rising upper-class consumer base, and popular picks that will guarantee interest in the average passerby. My timeline reflects the development of the Italian Market neighborhood and Molly’s various business ventures in the neighborhood. The transition from a space to a “place” is most decidedly marked by personal experience. I attempted to capture the most important turning points in the evolution of both that have prompted them to become the “places” of important events and memories today. 

A brief timeline of important events concerning Molly’s Books & Records and the neighborhood it resides in (Italian Market). This timeline shows the progression of the neighborhood as an Italian immigrant hub. The timeline also traces the establishment of long-term resident Molly Russakoff’s bookstore, Molly’s Books & Records, located in the center of the Italian Market area.

Text

Amorosi, A.D. “Reading and More at Molly’s Bookstore.” Https://Www.Inquirer.Com, 14 Oct. 2007, www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20071014_Molly_Russakoffs_new_Italian_Market_shop_will_strive_to_be_a_center_for_homeschooling_.html. 

“Change Coming to Philly’s Italian Market.” Thereporteronline, thereporteronline, 24 Sept. 2021, www.thereporteronline.com/2013/12/27/change-coming-to-phillys-italian-market/.

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

Explorepahistory.Com, explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-3E1. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.

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

MacLeish, Archibald, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. A Free Man’s Book an Adress Delivered at the Annual Banquet of the American Booksellers Association. Pauper Press, 1942. 

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

“Molly’s Books & Records.” The Merchants Fund, merchantsfund.org/story/mollys-books-records/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.

Rogers, W. G. Wise Men Fish Here: The Story of Frances Steloff and the Gotham Book Mart. Booksellers House, 1994. 

Tangires, Helen. “Italian Market.” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 1 Sept. 2022, philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/italian-market/.

“The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia: History, Culture, People, And…” Broad Street Review, www.broadstreetreview.com/reviews/the-italian-legacy-in-philadelphia-history-culture-people-and-ideas-edited-by-andrea-canepari-and-judith-goode. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.“The Ninth Street Market and South Philadelphia: Personal Connections, Particular Views, Past Times, and Embodied Places.” PhilaPlace, www.philaplace.org/essay/380/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.

Media

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

Current photo of Esposito’s: “Esposito’s Meats Photos.” Yelp, www.yelp.com/biz_photos/espositos-meats-philadelphia?select=2cbkyGsykYWbl6Gbxc2z6g. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023. 

Current photo of Ralph’s: Palomba, Asia London. “Ralph’s Italian Restaurant: A Philadelphia Icon.” America Domani, 13 June 2023, americadomani.com/ralphs-italian-restaurant-a-philadelphia-icon/.

Google Maps: Mollys Books & Records.

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/.

Old photos of Italian Market: “History.” S. 9TH ST. ITALIAN MARKET PHILADELPHIA, PA, www.italianmarketphilly.org/history.html. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.

Timeline courtesy of me, Natalie Chamberlain.

Harriett’s Bookshop – History, Activism, and Literature

Harriett’s Bookshop – Home to History, Activism, and Literature

Harriett’s Bookshop – Home to History, Activism, and Literature

While walking down the historic streets of the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, you may notice the age of the town behind new paints and plaster, the indents where bullets still live within the ancient brick townhouses. Abandoned pickets lay scattered within Fishtown’s alleyways, they almost seem like cracks in an otherwise quaint and beautiful little neighborhood. A sudden gust of wind tinged with salt and scales has you looking down at a sidewalk that has led countless people to where they wanted to be, and now you happen to find yourself looking down at concrete steps leading into a bookshop. The black awning shields you from the sun but blankets you in warm shade, you open the door and hear “welcome to Harriett’s,” as the salt, scales, and alleyway unease are replaced by the light smell of frankincense and book paper. You feel comfortable, relaxed, like you’ve found yourself in some sort of paradise.

“The bookstore feels like a gallery, where the books, mostly iconic and newer titles by Black women-identifying authors—Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, bell hooks—are the art.”

Lauren McCutcheon (The Philadelphia Citizen)
Harriett’s Bookshop from the inside out (Fishtown District, 2023).

That’s exactly the kind of feeling Jeannine Cook, the owner of Harriett’s Bookshop, wants her customers to feel. Harriett’s, named after Harriet Tubman, strives to be a place for minorities to come to and feel at home, feel comfortable, feel safe. Cook has always been a big community-oriented person and takes great pleasure in teaching. After graduating from the University of the Arts in 2004, she began teaching creative writing twice a week at the John Street Community Center. On other days, she would stand at the corner of Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue selling books and incense. Cook would go on to teach creative writing at Point Breeze Performing Arts Center, District 1199C, and Youth Build. She’d teach at Yes Philly with teens who’ve dropped out and got caught up in the justice system and through American Friends Service Committee, she worked with youths from 10 different countries developing a racism, colonialism, and imperialism centered course curriculum. Even after opening Harriett’s, Cook says “Every time I think I’ve left the classroom. I end up right back in the classroom (CBS Philadelphia, 2020).” She does this through her activism, through giving back to the community, for speaking out when no one else is strong enough to. She does things with the intention of making an impact.

Cook has faced many trials and tribulations opening her bookshop and continues to face challenges. The first lease she ever signed for Harriett’s rented her a vacant store space that would end up burning down within that same year. This didn’t deter her, of course, as she signed the current lease in 2019 and had her grand opening on February 1st, 2020. Ah yes, the dreaded 2020. Merely six weeks after opening, all business were forced to shut down when a quarantine was mandated in March of 2020 due to the rapid spread of Covid-19. While many businesses had gone out of business, Harriett’s was still hanging on. Cook took the bookshop online, sold physical copies from a pop-up sidewalk bookshop, and collaborated with Dr. Gina South, an ER doctor at Pennsylvania Hospital, to create “Essentials for Essentials.” Although Cook was surviving through the pandemic, the natives of Fishtown didn’t make it any easier for her.

August 28, 1964, Twenty-Second and Columbia Avenue. The Columbia Avenue Race Riot (Elkins, 2022).

Fishtown today is considered one of the hippest neighborhoods in Philly; its historical scars hidden away behind its new persona, but that’s just the thing with scars, cracks, and history, they run deep. We see that in how much Cook has had to fight to open and sustain her business as a female black business owner. Although Fishtown has a more creative population than they once had, it is still one of the most nondiverse parts of Philadelphia having a predominantly white population. In a video titled “Stories in Place” on Harriett’s Bookshop’s website, Jeannine said, “When I first came to Philly, what people said a lot was that Fishtown has a really sorted past and a really sorted present (Momar 5:08).” The unbalanced nature of Fishtown is often pointed out to Cook in the form of violent and racist emails, protests of white men wielding baseball bats, and white people mimicking Floyd’s murder in the streets. This was especially prominent after George Floyd’s lynching, in May 2020, which sparked Black Lives Matter protests from all over the country. This isn’t new for Fishtown either; historically Philadelphia was known to harbor many violent race riots, one of the more famous being the Columbia Avenue Riot of 1964.

Stories in Place: Harriett’s Bookshop from Raishad Momar titled “Sisters of the Soil” (Momar, 2023).

Being a primarily white town isn’t what’s causing inequality in Fishtown, but the fact that so many of these white people are older and set in their ways. Cook recalls an event not long after the white ‘pro cops’ protest with baseball bats, when she was walking down the street and came upon white protestors silently kneeling for nine minutes, mimicking the same amount of time Derek Chauvin kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, protesting in favor of the police. Just as the ‘pro cops’ protest was just around the corner from Harriett’s, so too was this. Like any sane person, Cook found this display jarring as she watched countless strangers reenact Floyd’s lynching.

“This is the thing that happens in this country over and over again, where things lose their essence, lose their direction. In that very moment, silence is violence.”

Jeannine Cook (McCutcheon, 2022)

When Cook and several other black business owners received racist and violent emails, threatening to burn, rape workers and mothers, and remind them that BIPOC lives are in constant danger, Cook organized her own protest, a Sisterhood Sit-In. With the support of her customers and social media presence, on March 12, 2022, her and hundreds of others walked from Fabrika to Harriett’s in an umbrella procession. The umbrellas obscured the faces of protestors, making it difficult to guess ages, so-called races, and so-called sexual orientations. Cook only had three days to organize the protest, but in the end, it went exactly as she was hoping.

Group Photo in front of Harriett’s Bookshop, looking forward to another Sisterhood Sit-In Tour (Cook, 2023).

Cook’s social media presence grabbed the attention of more people than she was expecting, jumping from only 3k to 30k followers in only a couple weeks. People admire what she stands for, that she was risking her life and safety to pass out books like Building a Movement to End the New Jim Crow: An Organizing Guide by Daniel Hunter and Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown. Cook was nearly shot herself by a police sniper in Kentucky but continued from Minneapolis to City Hall in Philly and back in front of her shop. Cook’s dedication to standing up against inequality, racism, sexism, and more, garnered her support from some well-known faces. On November 9, 2021, only a couple weeks after Harriett’s post-quarantine reopening party, Harriett’s hosted the launch party for Will Smith’s new memoir Will. Harriett’s also grabbed the attention of some of Cook’s literary heroes; with Nikole Hannah-Jones visiting Harriett’s in-store art display paying tribute to her book The 1619 Project, and Alice Walker attending a hybrid event hosted by Harriett’s celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Color Purple.

Harriett’s Bookshop would be what it is if not for how Cook is. From all the books being written by black female authors to the charming events, Harriett’s brings people together. An article from the Philadelphia Citizen, they quote Cook saying, “People start calling the store more than a store, saying it’s a sanctuary, a hangout, a safe space, an art gallery, a monument (McCutcheon, 2022).” This is exactly it. Harriett’s is a sanctuary and safe space for minorities within an oppressive neighborhood, that have no other place they can go where they feel safe. It is a monument dedicated to the fight for equality, showcasing what an equal world could look like. Harriett’s is a symbol of hope and of home, many can agree. It is a place of learning, filled with books that make you feel seen and topics which make you feel there’s hope or that good change is possible. Harriett’s sparks peaceful protest for what is right, it’s what makes the bookshop feel like a home rather than a place of business. “The purpose behind her store was “not a matter of sales. It’s not a questioning of bookselling… It’s the raising of consciousness (Davis, p 37).”

Timeline of Harriett’s Bookshop in green above and important national events in brown below (McCann, 2023).

Sources

Media

Cook, Jeannine. “Harrietts_bookshop .” Instagram, 2019, www.instagram.com/harrietts_bookshop/.

Elkins, Alex. “Columbia Avenue Riot.” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 15 Mar. 2022, philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/columbia-avenue-riot/.

Fishtown District. “Harriett’s Bookshop.” Fishtown District, 2023, fishtowndistrict.com/business/harrietts-bookshop/.

Momar, Raishad. “Stories in Place: Harriett’s Bookshop.” Vimeo, 8 Oct. 2023, vimeo.com/507621976.

Websites

CBS Philadelphia. “Harriett’s Bookshop in Fishtown Thriving during Pandemic Due to Unique Mission.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 25 Aug. 2020, www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/harrietts-bookshop-in-fishtown-thriving-during-pandemic-due-to-unique-mission/.

Goulet, Emily. “Fishtown: An Oral History (so Far).” Philadelphia Magazine, 25 Nov. 2019, www.phillymag.com/news/fishtown-oral-history-philadelphia/.

Harriett’s. “Harriett’s.” Our Sister Bookshops, 2023, www.oursisterbookshops.com/harrietts.

Harriett’s Bookshop Online. “Harriett’s Bookshop Bookshop.” Bookshop, 2023, bookshop.org/shop/harriettsbookshop.

McCutcheon, Lauren. “How Black Bibliophile Jeannine Cook Became the Voice of Philadelphia.” The Philadelphia Citizen, 14 Nov. 2022, thephiladelphiacitizen.org/jeannine-cook-philly/.

McShane, Julianne. “Why a Bookstore Owner Is Working to Make Harriet Tubman Day a Reality.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 29 Apr. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bookstore-owner-working-make-harriet-tubman-day-reality-rcna26333.

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

Wilson, Jennifer. “Q&A: Cook’s Activism at Philly Bookshop.” Poets & Writers, 11 Feb. 2022, www.pw.org/content/qa_cooks_activism_at_philly_bookshop.

Text

“Liberation Through Literacy.” From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs, by Joshua Clark Davis, Columbia University Press, 2020, pp. 35–82.

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006.

Timeline

McCann, Bedelya. “Harriett’s Bookshop Timeline.” Harriett’s Bookshop Timeline – Timeline, 2023, time.graphics/line/841980.

Library Express: Simply the Best

Library Express: Simply the Best

Library Express, located in Scranton, PA, is not only a bookstore, but a library as well. This dual purpose serves the surrounding community and its residents well, allowing people of all demographics to find what they are looking for, whether they are seeking to buy a bestseller or simply borrow a book that interests them. The offered variety of purchase and rental options at Library Express similarly reflect this urge to cater to all types. There are options to have a book mailed to your home if you are unable to go to the bookstore, online options for in-store pickup, and, of course, in-person options in the store itself. These options allow the community to utilize the bookstore in any way they are able to, and in any way they would like to (“Library Express Bookstore.”).  

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 in one way or another” (Creswell 7). These definitions allow people to make sense of the area they are in, especially the spaces most significant to them. These meanings applied to Library Express are various and change for each person. For some people, the location itself creates meaning, while other people create meanings through the environment of the bookstore and the community within it. Due to Library Express’ location in the Marketplace at Steamtown with a multitude of other stores, the location suggests business and a sense of constant activity. The immediate surroundings outside the mall include historical train museums and a multitude of restaurants. This physical sense of place allows the consumers at Library Express to have a meaningful area with everything they might want. In addition to the physical sense of place, the significance of the space itself is created through the large number of activities the Library Express hosts.  Included in this wide are open mic nights, technical assistance tables, and community discussions about topics such as parenting. Though these activities are not offered in the bookstore itself due to its small size, they are offered through the Lackawanna library system, which helps cater to people in multiple areas.   

Image courtesy of the Lackawanna Library System

Data from the US census and other surveys give further reasons that Library Express utilizes a great business model. In the surrounding area of the bookstore, the median income is far less than the state average, estimates reading about $41,000 dollars a year compared to $71,000 average (“Scranton, PA.”). With this, the employment rate of the same zip code is at a mere 36%, and 45% of their population 65 and older are in poverty. The obvious way to cater to this is to have multiple options for consumers. For those who cannot afford books due to poverty or unemployment, having the option to check out a library book is an excellent idea. By contrast, a significant amount of the population is comprised of well-educated people in their thirties who have the income to spend on books. The ability to buy books and browse in a store is appealing to this audience. In addition to this, the population of disabled people in the area is 23%, an almost 10% increase from the state average (Bureau). This is easily reflected in Library Express’ book mailing option for those who cannot be in the store itself. Because of this catering to their area, far more people are able to access books than they would otherwise.  

Image Courtesy of Data USA
Image Courtesy of United States Census Bureau

The idea of ‘place’ in a bookstore is easily reflected in Library Express. The dual library-bookstore combination allows consumers to feel at home and comforted as they recognize their own place in the order of things. As Creswell explains on page 2, place can be used in the context of social hierarchies in the world and “suggests that there are particular orderings of things in the world that have a socio-geographical basis”. This is a sentiment that is reflected through the comforting accommodations in Library Express. It is comforting to know your own place in the world and social expectations of you, and it is simultaneously comforting to have accommodations made to suit you. Libraries have been a part of the world for centuries, and the branching out of this model allows two communities to come together. The community of bookstore consumers can use a library model to explore multiple avenues of reading, and the library community is able to purchase a book they find especially good. Libraries and bookstores have opposite problems—people in libraries wish they could keep books and people in bookstores may not be able to afford the books they want. Library Express caters to all possible audiences by making books available in a multitude of ways, which ensures the people of the Scranton area are happy.  

Citations

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

“Library Express Bookstore.” Lackawanna County Library System, lclshome.org/b/library-express/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

“Scranton, PA.” Data USA, datausa.io/profile/geo/scranton-pa. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

Bureau, United States Census. Explore Census Data, data.census.gov/profile/ZCTA5_18503?g=860XX00US18503. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

Images

“Library Express Bookstore.” Lackawanna County Library System, lclshome.org/b/library-express/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

“Scranton, PA.” Data USA, datausa.io/profile/geo/scranton-pa. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

Bureau, United States Census. Explore Census Data, data.census.gov/profile/ZCTA5_18503?g=860XX00US18503. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

Map courtesy of Brooke Nelson

Library Express Bookstore: buy or borrow!

Library Express Bookstore: buy or borrow!

The Electric City Trolley Museum. Image courtesy of Jim Cheney.

Scranton, Pennsylvania is well known as the Electric City. According to Google, it is known for its Steamtown National Historic Site. Some may know it from their Electric City Trolley Museum which has vintage trolleys. Others may only know Scranton from the US adaptation of the television series, The Office, which is set at a fictional paper company in Scranton. Or perhaps people may know Scranton just because of the colleges that are located there.

Head down to Scranton for a day or a weekend trip, and stop by the Marketplace at Steamtown where you may find whatever you need. As stated on the Marketplace at Steamtown’s website it is the “home to lifestyle services, professional offices, retail shops, and entertainment.” The Marketplace at Steamtown has many different stores for just about anyone. If you need to do some errands you may find what you need there. If you want to go to the gym after work, you can stop by Crunch Fitness. If you are a book lover who happens to be taking a trip to Scranton, be sure to stop by the Marketplace at Steamtown where they have a bookstore known as Library Express. This unique place is not only a bookstore, but it also functions as a branch of the Lackawanna County Library System. Much like a regular public library, Library Express will loan books to the members of its community. However, Library Express also allows you to go in and wander around so that you can buy yourself a new or used book as you would do at a regular bookstore.

Streetside view of the entrance of the Marketplace at Steamtown. Map courtesy of Google Maps.

The entrance of Library Express Bookstore. Image courtesy of the Library Express Bookstore Facebook page.

Library Express is located on the Second Floor of the Marketplace at Steamtown. Its storefront is paneled with oak, and it has large windows that have decorations that match the seasons. As seen in the picture below, the window display matches the current autumn season matching people’s love of fall foliage. When the bookstore is open its doors always remain wide open which allows anyone to stroll in. This provides a sense of feeling welcomed and may encourage people to enter the bookstore. Since Scranton has several universities, Library Express is very useful for college students. They can go to the bookstore and either buy the books that they need for school, or they could possibly just borrow them and give them back once they are done with them. Right next door is Lackawanna’s Dress for Success, a second-hand clothing store that all women to feel empowered by providing them with professional attire that allows them to thrive at work. There is also a little food court that has food that ranges from Auntie Anne’s Pretzels to Ruano’s Pizza & Pasta to Amori Sushi. So take a stroll inside the Marketplace at Steamtown, where you can have some lunch, and then go grab yourself the book you have been wanting to read. Plus if you happen to also like The Office then you can stop to check out the Scranton Welcome sign that is seen during the opening credits of the television series.

Library Express Window Decorated for the Fall. Image courtesy of the Library Express Bookstore Page

In Tim Cresswell’s “Defining Place” he talks a lot about what a place can be, whether it is a specific location, locale, or a sense of place. There are many things that are considered places such as your bedroom, a garden, a gym, Scranton, Marketplace at Steamtown, Electric City Aquarium & Reptile Den, etc. As Cresswell would say what makes these all considered places is that “they are spaces which people have made meaningful” (7), and that is what these places are to people. These places including Library Express provide people with what they may need or want. Library Express is a place that is meaningful to bookworms who cannot help but stop by and buy a new or used book. It is also a meaningful place for college students to stop by and possibly borrow a book if they do not wish to buy it since they already spend a lot of money just to go to their university.

According to the 2020 Census Bureau, the city of Scranton was predominately White (71.3%), the second highest demographic was Hispanic (9.51%), the third was Black or African American (5.39%), then following was Asian (5.07%). With three more demographics: Multiracial (Hispanic) at 3.17%, Multiracial (Non-Hispanic) at 3%, and Other (Hispanic) at 2.01%.

The age of the population is approximately 33% 65 years old or older and 15% at the age of 25 or younger. However, in the neighborhood that Library Express is in, about 35% of households whose incomes are less than $15K in a year.

In Laura J. Miller’s Reluctant Capitalists Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, she mentions how the right kind of businesses are “nourished by its vital connections to a locality” and that they “can rise above profit considerations to provide community service as well as customer service” (122). This is exactly what Library Express does. The Library Express being a branch of a public library and bookstore allows it to provide not only for the community but also for a regular customer who may not be part of its neighborhood community.

Sources:

Texts

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

Library Express Facebook Page. Facebook. (n.d.). https://www.facebook.com/LibraryExpress/

Miller, Laura J. “Serving the Entertained Consumer: The Multifunction Bookstore.” Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2007, p. 122.

Mixed-use Facility: The Marketplace at Steamtown: United States. Steamtown. (n.d.). https://www.themarketplaceatsteamtown.com/ Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

We brighten the lives of women across the world. Dress for Success Lackawanna. (n.d.). https://lackawanna.dressforsuccess.org/ Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

Images

The entrance of the bookstore: https://www.facebook.com/LibraryExpress/ Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

The window display: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=881111396810461&set=pb.100047348262907.-2207520000&type=3 Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

Cheney, Jim. “17 of My Favorite Things to Do in Scranton, PA.” Uncovering PA, 14 Aug. 2023, https://uncoveringpa.com/things-to-do-in-scranton-pa Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

Maps

Streetside view of the entrance of the Marketplace at Steamtown https://maps.app.goo.gl/8fpjpofh9HFcFUrm9

**Map created on https://mymaps.google.com/ **

Statistics

Households by IncomeClaritas, https://claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/#zipLookup. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

Scranton, PA. Data USA. (n.d.). https://datausa.io/profile/geo/scranton-pa#demographics Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

“Coffee and Community, Coming Right Up!” How Cafe Con Libros Fights to Unite Crown Heights

“Coffee and Community, Coming Right Up!” How Cafe Con Libros Fights to Unite Crown Heights

The storefront of Cafe Con Libros, facing Prospect Place in Crown Heights. Image curtesy of Rolling Out.

Tucked behind a cozy curtain of sage, forest, seafood, and bottle green shades of ivy hangs the stark black and white sign of Crown Heights’ combined coffee and book shop, Cafe Con Libros. “BLACK, FEMINIST, & BOOKISH” the sign reads on weeks that follow a good hedge trimming. On weeks that don’t, it doesn’t seem to matter. All the shop’s customers already know what the big block letters spell. 

Cafe Con Libros is an intersectional feminist shop 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, there’s significance to this shop shaped by its locale and sense of place.

Sweet, nutty notes of espresso waft out the door as it swings open and shut. The windows display works written by women of all different bodies, backgrounds, and beliefs. Catchy coffeehouse tunes trickle out onto the street, harmonizing with the soft chatter of customers perusing the shelves. Locals gaze upon the rowdy road from cushy window seats, cupping warm mugs in their hands before returning to laptops, cracking open paperbacks, or scribbling on notepads.

Of course, this isn’t to say that geography doesn’t still play an insurmountable role in Cafe Con Libros’ sense of place. Most notably, the soft turquoise storefront stands on the frontlines of an uphill battle to unify an increasingly gentrified community. 

Between 2000 and 2015, the 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.

Though there is still a Black majority in Crown Heights, the popular has significantly shrunk over the past 20 years. More than a quarter of the neighborhood is now White. Graphic curtsey of NYC Health.
There is also a tremendous variety of wealth statuses in Crown Heights as a result of gentrification. Graphic curtsey of NYC Health.

Cafe Con Libros’ Afro-Latina owner 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. 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”).

Kalima DeSuze knows she played a role in the gentrification of her town with Cafe Con Libros. She told a local publication that coffeeshops are a classic marker for redlining, that one popping up is an immediate signal to residents that the neighborhood is “done for” (“Fernández”). However, DeSuze took this as a challenge to signal the opposite to her community with a bold selection of books. 

According to their 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.” They even proudly offer selections for what they affectionately call their “baby, budding feminists.” Picture books and children’s toys take up the entire right-hand side of the window display, for all the new upscale families living nearby.

The left-hand window boasts Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where Are You? and Lovely War by Julie Berry, but also features The Crunk Feminist Collection and The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae, attempting to fight the misconception DeSuze finds thrown around in her community far too often when presented with a feminist text: “Oh, that’s for white folk, that’s not for us” (“Fernández”).  

“I aim to bring the folks together who would normally not feel comfortable with one another. This is what I want to see […] I want to see multiple identities being comfortable sitting and hanging out with one another and connecting across differences.”
Kalima DeSuze, Owner of Cafe Con Libros (“Fernández”)

Bookstores today sell experiences as much as they do books and coffee, and DeSuze is using this to her advantage for community bulding. She cultivates a warm yet quaint space where people of various backgrounds can bump elbows while working, socializing, and reading. She personally welcomes in and welcomes back those who otherwise feel like they wouldn’t belong in a place like Cafe Con Libros. 

Prospect Place, the street where Cafe Con Libros is located in Brooklyn. Image curtesy of Chris Setter.

Early critics of the modern chain bookstore were critical of superstores being “better at promoting coffee drinking than an interest in ideas and the intellect,” as Laura J. Miller points out in Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Competition. However, socially conscious and intersectionality-minded shops like Cafe Con Libros show the obvious faults in this thinking with their feminist book clubs and late night readings. 

Kalima DeSuze created a shop with a sense of place, a store that embodied the colloquialism of the old neighborhood she grew up in. No matter if someone’s family has been in the neighborhood for generations or they just moved in last year, DeSuze makes it so that everyone has at least something in common when they enter the front door: they know the sign behind the overgrown ivy reads “BLACK, FEMINIST, & BOOKISH.”

The turnout for Cafe Con Libros’ book club meeting for Lab Girl by Hope Jahren. Image curtesy of Chris Setter.
Works Cited

“Cafe Con Libros.” Rolling Out, rollingout.com/places/cafe-con-libros/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023. 

Fernández, 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/. 

Hinterland K, Naidoo M, King L, Lewin V, Myerson G, Noumbissi B, Woodward M, Gould LH, Gwynn RC, Barbot O, Bassett MT. Community Health Profiles 2018, Brooklyn Community District 8: Crown Heights and Prospect Heights; 2018; 32(59):1-20.

“Intersectional Feminist Bookstore: Cafe Con Libros: New York.” Cafe Con Libros, www.cafeconlibrosbk.com/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023. 

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

“State of New York City’s Housing and Neighborhoods in 2018.” NYU Furman Center, 2018. 

Molly’s Books & Records: A Hidden Gem in Philly’s Italian Market

Molly’s Books & Records: A Hidden Gem in Philly’s Italian Market

Enter Philly’s Italian Market, situated in the midst of the Bella Vista neighborhood, and you will be surrounded by food. Endless restaurants, grocery stores, butcher’s shops, and cheesemongers line the area’s streets. There are a few spots in this culinary sphere that stand out. One stretch features a community garden. Around the corner, a small space is occupied by a tutoring center. Walk a few blocks north to 1010 S 9th St. and you’ll find Molly’s Books & Records. Established in 2009, this used cookbook and record shop is part of a community brimming with culture and history. 

Molly’s Books & Records

Map outlining the Bella Vista/Wharton area

The Italian Market is the country’s oldest operating outdoor market. It is part of South Philly’s Bella Vista/Wharton neighborhood, in between Center City and Pennsport. The area covers one section of the edge of the Delaware River, on the other edge of which lies Camden, New Jersey. It mostly follows Christopher Columbus Blvd. on its east side, stretching slightly into the river; Tasker St. on its southernmost edge; S. Broad St. on the west; and a bit past Lombard St. in the north.

This piece of Philadelphia has a population of almost 40,000 within its 1.3 square miles. The majority of its residents are white. The median age is 36, with most of the population being young adults and over. Most households consist of one or two people, with no children. The average household income is between $50,000-$75,000/year. However, higher income groups come second and third to this majority, suggesting that the Bella Vista/Wharton neighborhood has its fair share of upper-class residents. 

Race/ethnicity of Bella Vista/Wharton Residents

Average Household Income in Bella Vista/Wharton neighborhood

Although it markets a different set of goods from its neighbors, Molly’s presence makes sense in an area with such a heavy focus on cuisine, and diverse cuisine at that. Of course, the neighborhood features various Italian joints, such as restaurants like Paesano’s and Villa di Roma; butcher shops, such as Cannuli’s and Cappuccios; and produce shops like Giordano’s and Gargano’s. However, the streets are infused with the culinary influences of various cultures. There is a notable presence of Mexican restaurants in the area. Across the street from Molly’s is Alma del Mar. A few blocks south is Taqueria La Prima,  and around the corner Palenque Restaurante. Vietnamese and Thai restaurants are also present in the neighborhood. Right next door to the bookstore is Fante’s, a kitchenware shop. The two form a perfect pair. I find it difficult to think of a better excursion than the one the Italian Market offers: fresh meals, preloved cookbooks, and new equipment to make the recipes inside them with. A foodie’s dream day trip. 

An overview of the various fixtures in the Bella Vista neighborhood

Molly’s invites food enthusiasts passing through or living in the community to take part in the culture of cooking that is so alive in the Bella Vista/Wharton area. It feeds off of the thriving connection of culture and (literal) consumption around it while giving back by promoting the worldly cuisine that lines its streets. 

The idea that “[w]hen humans invest meaning in a portion of space and then become attached to it in some way (naming is one such way) it becomes a place” (Cresswell 10) is clearly reflected in the neighborhood where Molly’s Books & Records resides. The Bella Vista/Wharton community is made up of places that represent all of its inhabitants. It is the culmination of each person, each culture, and each small community, creating their own place in the area. The Italian Market specifically is an example of a place filled with places, one of which is reserved as Molly’s. 

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” (11). Evidently, the neighborhood of Bella Vista/Wharton has chosen to emphasize one thing in particular, a thing that I think accurately reflects the community’s values. Food is something that can be almost perfectly translated across place and time: with the same recipes and ingredients, food can be timeless. The neighborhood’s vast population of restaurants and stores with food-related wares communicates a desire to preserve its residents’ culture.

Photos of places in the Italian Market area

 

Music is another timeless product. Bookstores have been known to change and shift according to their surroundings. By fusing two such lasting elements with the classic medium of literature, Molly’s appears to claim a pretty solid place in its community. 

In Reluctant Capitalists, Laura Miller suggests that “[c]ommunity implies social bonds based on affective ties and mutual support…[and] evokes a past steeped in tradition as opposed to a constantly changing present” (119). Molly’s Books & Records is the epitome of this definition. It works within its environment to promote the independent businesses surrounding it, which in turn drive traffic through its doors. The shop’s products mirror the diversity of the residents in its community, shown through the variety of establishments that have taken root as places in its streets. These products are timeless representations of the past and present of the Italian Market and the larger urban community it is within. The bookstore is a worthy jewel in the Bella Vista treasure chest.

WORKS CITED

CHARTS

Claritas, https://claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/#zipLookup . Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

IMAGES

19147 Map. https://codigo-postal.co/en-us/usa/zip/19147/ . Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

Bel Arbor Garden. https://www.ngtrust.org/bel-arbor/ . Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

Fante’s. Pinterest, Fante’s Gourmet and Kitchen Wares, South Ninth Street, Philadelphia. Everything for the kitchen, if they don’t have it… | Kitchen shop, Kitchen equipment, Kitchen (pinterest.com) . Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

Giordano’s . http://www.thejawn.com/jawn/p-f-giordano-produce-philadelphia/ . Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

J., Danny. Cafe Diem. Yelp, Outside (yelp.com). Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

M., Liza. Cappuccio’s. Yelp, Photo for Cappuccio’s Meats (yelp.com). Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

Paesano’s. Boston Globe, http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/food-dining/2013/10/29/philly-style-sandwiches-top-tradition-with-imagination/cPLmPdNVeATKI0EbkNbCqN/story.html . Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

Piserchio, Natalie. Title Photo . Philly Eater, https://philly.eater.com/2021/12/13/22820597/mollys-books-records-italian-market-bookstore-cookbooks. Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

Villa di Roma. Facebook , https://www.facebook.com/villadiromasouthphilly/. Accessed 17 Sept. 2023.

MAPS

Google Maps: Molly’s Books & Records.

TEXT

Cresswell, Tim. Place: A Short Introduction, Blackwell, Malden, MA, 2011, pp. 10–11.

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2014, p. 119.

The Qualifications of “Classic” Literature in D.J. Ernst Used and Rare Books

D.J. Ernst, an independent bookstore located on Market Street in Selinsgrove.

In Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, nestled on North Market Street, sits a bookstore that’s been serving its community for 44 years. In its display windows, used books surround electric candles, inviting passersby to peer in and, just maybe, walk amongst the books that line the shelves within. Hanging beside the receding door is a wooden, weather-worn sign, welcoming potential customers with the name of the bookstore: DJ Ernst Books, Used & Rare.

Donald J. Ernst—known to the students and faculty of the nearby Susquehanna University as “Homer”—has owned and operated the single-room store since he was a college student in the 1970s. Looking around the space, there’s an ever-present sense that this is a place in which time stands still, and the once-forgotten is given a spotlight. From the cloth-bound collections to the vintage orange-crate shelves to the old cash register that came with the store, DJ Ernst proudly shows its age and revels in its history.

Age, history, and a “classic” status are important features in the types of literature Ernst keep in his store. With the books being used or rare copies, it’s clear that many of these books have histories we can only begin to imagine. For DJ Ernst, literature is made up of well-written classics that both reflect Homer’s personal taste and the tastes of the communities he serves.

The Past

Donald J. Ernst (A.K.A. Homer)

The bookstore was first established on February 1st, 1975. Ernst’s father had always had a passion for literature as he enjoyed collecting and reselling books out of his house. He passed down this joy to his son as they began to bond over literature in the ’60s. As their passion grew, Ernst’s father decided to open the very store that still stands today and is now owned by his son.

In the text “A Global Sense of Place,” Tim Cresswell reiterates Massey’s definition of place as, “[a] site of multiple identities and histories” (72). From what was previously a women’s shoe store, to what is now known as DJ Ernst Books, it is safe to say this particular building has been filled with multiple identities and histories. To add to this, along with the building, Ernst was also left with an antique cash register that is still there today.

The contents of the store are in a way a part of a time capsule, one formed when Market Street started to slow down. Preserving “Old Selinsgrove” became the store’s aesthetic. The memorabilia hanging on the walls–the postcards, the pictures of his family, the articles cut outs from newspapers about his store, the multiple maps of Pennsylvania–are points in his timeline that makes up Ernst’s time as a bookseller. The antique cash register is a tribute to a time when Market Street was busy, before the mall was built on 11/15. It is one of the oldest stores on Market Street and it proudly shows.

One of Ernst’s many interests is used, rare books, and he’s not alone. Antique books are some of the staples of the store. Throughout the years he has managed to find a signed copy of a Robert Frost book, as well as a signed Walt Whitman Leaves of Grass. These old books help define what literature is in Homer’s definition.  To further explain what his definition of literature is, it is well-written classics and antique books that both reflect his personal taste as well as the tastes of those within the community. Ernst says he stocks books that he believes are interesting and are worth passing the knowledge on to others or are books everyone should read at least once in their life. I can agree with that.

A copy of Bookman’s Weekly Magazine, the publication Ernst and his father used to use to buy and sell used and rare books across the country.

While other stores in Market Street have struggled to stay open through the years, DJ Ernst has persisted. The store has expanded by creating an online presence. In the early 2000s when he joined Biblio and Abebooks, it allowed him to accept credit cards and to sell worldwide. He also created a Facebook page, where he posts books that he finds and updates his customers on what he has in stock. However, he never added a credit card scanner to the physical store. It was not part of the environment he wanted to have. Homer wants to keep the good parts of the history in his store and allow customers to experience it by purchasing the classics that he has for sale.

The Bookstore

The structure of the store is a clear layout of self-identity embodying a living and breathing time capsule of classics. Looking into this time capsule is a large “timeline” of Ernst finding out who he was, but also learning what has molded his experience into the bookseller that he is today.

Ernst’s store embeds various versions of his history through the structure and layout he provides within the store. At first glance you see a giant, awkwardly shaped display of books smack in the middle of the store. This shelf is made up of small and tall shelves, a table, and a couple of random wooden pieces placed nicely together. This system holds a variation of books that are displayed either facing you when you first walk in, spine out, or even the cover facing up. It is not the type of shelving you would see at a chain bookstore since they would display their books in rows and columns of straightforward shelving, but there is true character behind this funky shape that makes his system so attractive. It is almost as if each piece was put there at a different time in his life, expanding the ability to display his collection of books.

This giant mix-matched shelving is shifted a little to the left when you walk in. Peering through the right-side window enables the customer to face Ernst as he sits at his front counter.  As an assumption, Ernst was probably trying to find the best way to display the most amount of books that he had, so his system of this awkward shelving worked for him and his store. Ernst cleverly placed the shelving in the center forming a pathway around the perimeter of his store, which directs the overall traffic throughout the building. This is a creative way to keep the viewer intrigued and their eyes constantly active, making it easier for a consumer to get “lost” within the store. Regardless of if the customer was to start their journey on the right or left side of the store they always walked around the entire perimeter either once, or multiple times.

Most books are placed on the shelves, but there are also three rows of books stacked on the floor, spine up, and in front of the shelves filling the perimeter of the store. Whether you look up to the ceiling, or down to your feet the place is completely covered in books. Ernst talks about not really knowing how to be a bookseller when he started out and this experience stemming from a passion that he shared with his father. You can tell by the setup of the store that Ernst doesn’t look into the nit-picky details of how to organize the business; it is merely groomed out of that hobby that he formed the store from.

A few of the shelves that make up the History section in DJ Ernst, along with the fiction books on the floor.

Ernst mentioned how he is a “specialist in early Pennsylvania history and local history,” which is not apparent until truly digging into the identity of the store.  You can tell that he is proud of the accomplishments through the various newspapers and articles hanging around the room. Whether it is a shout out from the town’s newspaper, or him and his father inside the store, every moment has been captured and hung up. You can tell that Ernst holds things close to him through the way he has structured his store and his layout.

The chair that faces Ernst’s front counter.

An example of such would be how Ernst has placed the chair facing the front counter that he sits behind. He mentions that individuals from the Selinsgrove community always come in and sit on the worn-out rocking chair with a colorful knitted blanket to talk for hours. It could range from talking about Philosophy to WWII and even for some, a trip after the bar for a “how are you” conversation. And most times these community members leave his store empty-handed, but the openness that Ernst gives for a conversation and a place to sit back and relax makes the community feel welcome. He never passes on the opportunity to learn new things as he helps his customer’s branch out on topics that they are interested in. When thinking about this generation, it is known for basing basic communication skills off of technology whether it is texting or even email. Ernst holds onto the past when facing the chair towards his desk only forcing this “abnormal” form of communication to occur. Whether it is the structure of his store or the things that embedded within it, the history is apparent, and it is not going away as long as Ernst is there.

Within DJ Ernst Books, the collections of books themselves are perfectly indicative of the bookseller and

Just one of the many books Ernst keeps in his bookstore.

the community surrounding him. DJ Ernst Books is clearly not a typical bookstore, at least, not in the way modern consumers understand them to be in the world of corporate stores and standardized inventories. In true fashion of the personal bookstore, Homer doesn’t refer to popular bestsellers lists to stock his shelves. His collections differ greatly from the standardized models of corporate bookstores and his inventory is not motivated by profit or marketability. Personal bookstores almost always differ from corporate ones in this sense, as seen in Reluctant Capitalists by Laura J. Miller. Like many other personal bookstores, DJ Ernst Books is, instead, purely a reflection of the owner’s taste, interests, preferences, and distinct definitions of literature.

Those distinct definitions, however, can be difficult to discern with the way the collection is organized throughout. DJ Ernst has subgenres and niche categories galore, all fit in tightly with each other in this small space. If the collection is supposed to reflect the bookseller’s tastes in literature, the only thing that becomes clear upon entering is that DJ Ernst loves to read as many books as he can. Children’s Illustration Books are next to Ancient History, books on music are near books on war, and on the other side of the store, there are hunting books next to American Literature, as well as reports of historical explorations next to World Literature. Many people are so used to walking into a bookstore and finding nothing but modern bestsellers and the most popular books hot off the presses. DJ Ernst Books, however, overflows with books from a wide array of genres, time periods, and aesthetics.

The other thing that becomes immediately clear is that Homer has a deep respect for the book itself as a material. While there is an almost overwhelming number of subgenres, all of them are clearly defined in handwritten labels, and many other labels pasted throughout the space are handwritten warnings to treat the books with great care, as if they were made of glass. It’s clear that Homer values the book as a special kind of object, which is also evident in the aesthetics of the books he chooses to place on high, important pedestals and shelves. There are antique, leather-bound books, and more rare and ornate tomes presented in high places, in the center display for people to admire, or even in the back shelves away from customer’s hands. However, on the other hand, the simple paperbacks are lined up in rows on the floors in front of most of the bookcases.

Most notably is the sheer number of historical genres, especially on the left side of the store. From history books on the wars big and small, to Pennsylvanian history, and even a section just labeled “Europe,” it is clear that the past and knowledge are immensely important to Homer. This is clear in almost everything about this personal bookstore, such as the unchanged interior design and the ancient cash register on the counter. He has even kept a magazine from decades before where regional collectors and booksellers such as himself could keep in touch and share product, despite the magazine being obsolete now and many of those contacts outdated. This is why the bookstore isn’t categorized with genres like fantasy, science fiction, romance, or self-help. Homer isn’t interested in these kinds of books, and he doesn’t tend to stock them unless they stand out to him or he knows one of the regular customers might be interested. Instead, the definition of literature presented in this bookstore’s collection reflects the classics and the unique, especially if they are reminiscent of an older era.

Beside the door are books on hunting, fishing, and wildlife, all of which relate to the area’s interest in hunting.

In addition to the bookstore’s personal taste, Homer attributes a lot of his inventory to other people in the surrounding Selinsgrove area and many of his contacts who are collectors. DJ Ernst Books isn’t solely a reflection of the bookseller’s personal taste but also a reflection of the community it is so ingrained in. For example, if this was just a personal bookstore, there wouldn’t be any sci-fi paperbacks, seeing as how Homer doesn’t like the genre. This also explains the hunting books, the books about fishing and nature, as well as books written by faculty from the creative writing department at Susquehanna University. Ultimately, DJ Ernst Books is a personal bookstore whose collection reflects the personal taste and identity of the bookseller, just as people are products of their communities.

:

The Present

While the number of independent bookstores is on the decline, one that still remains today on Market Street is DJ Ernst Books.

A view of DJ Ernst from Market Street.

At D.J. Ernst Books, people don’t come just for the books, they visit for the conversations with Homer. Also, people visit for the unique and personalized experience that only an independent bookstore can create. In his book The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, Lewis Buzbee reflects on this idea. Buzbee explains, “My excitement at being in a bookstore comes from the place itself, the understanding that I can stay here for as long as need be” (4). Unlike other book merchants eager to make a sale, Homer doesn’t rush his customers. People are free to browse until the store closes. Buzbee as a bookseller reminds me of Homer, as both gravitate towards old paperbacks, talk freely with their customers, and create a helpful atmosphere in the store. When Buzbee talks about the “excitement” of the bookstore coming from the sense of place, Homer’s bookstore fits this description. The “excitement” of Homer’s bookstore is the atmosphere the store creates, a sense of home. It’s the comfortable and relaxed atmosphere of an independent bookstore that makes it feel homey.

When looking back on how Homer defines literature, Buzbee touched on another concept. His definition of good literature can be summed up in this quote: “I fall into these worlds again, not as much for the enchantment, but for the familiarity” (35). Homer believes that literature is defined as classic books, the “familiarity” stories that many generations have read. Similar to Buzbee, Homer believes in the power of the familiar, that these old books have a reason for maintaining their celebrated status. Homer has built his business around the classic paperback favorites that keep customers engaged with the store, the books that are the most “familiar.”

Another bookseller that reminds me of Homer is Kathleen in the film You’ve Got Mail (1998). Kathleen runs an independent bookstore and she knows all her customers by name. Although her store in the film appears nothing like Homer’s décor, they both appeal to a local audience. Kathleen runs a children’s bookstore and recommends her favorite books to her customers. Homer runs an independent bookstore that’s frequented by mainly college students and retired residents of Susquehanna. What makes these two booksellers similar is their passion for good literature, the quality content between the covers.

A more specific example of what Homer defines as literature is his selection of John Steinbeck novels. Homer himself has been recently discovering Steinbeck’s works. He stocks them now because he’s reading all the works and discussing them with customers. Buzbee commented on Steinbeck by writing that “John Steinbeck has always been a controversial writer. More of his works have been banned than those of nearly any other American writer in the last sixty years” (42). It’s this attention, this acknowledgment that Steinbeck’s books have been read by so many, that Buzbee uses to define the work as literature. Homer doesn’t care whether Steinbeck is “controversial” or not, because he enjoys the books and the response they receive from customers. Since people of all ages and generations have read Steinbeck and enjoyed his work, it is good literature to Homer. Homer defines good literature by how his customers respond to the work in question, his opinions on it, and the impact the book has had on the world. It’s the relaxed atmosphere, the familiar books, and the excellent customer service that makes Homer’s store so special to locals.

Conclusion

What makes a book or a type of literature a “classic” is highly personal. At DJ Ernst, that personal understanding of classic literature–old, rare, and well-written–mixes with the wants and needs of Selinsgrove residents, Susquehanna students and faculty, and the people of Snyder County. This store’s stock, then, creates a beautiful union between the past and the present that can stand the test of time.

Sources

Film:

Ephron, Nora, et al. You’ve Got Mail. Warner Bros., 1998.

Graphics:

Floor plan by Erin Reid, created via ThingLink

Map by Monet Polny, created via Google

Photos by Erin Reid, Valerie Erickson, Monet Polny, Laurel Jakucs, Ty Bricker, and Eneida Giboyeaux

“DJ Ernst.” New Timeline – Timeline, time.graphics/line/234048.

Text:

Buzbee, Lewis. The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop A Memoir, A History. Graywolf Press, 2008.

Cresswell, Tim. “Place: A Short Introduction” A Global Sense of Place. Off Our Backs: pg. 72. Print

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

Regional and Personal Expression: The Books of DJ Ernst

On a dreary Wednesday afternoon, I walk into DJ Ernst Used and Rare Bookstore. The owner–affectionately known as Homer–greets me from the check-out desk three quarters into the small, one-room store. The walls are lined in red wallpaper, old photos, and clippings from various magazines and newspapers. Busts and memorabilia line the shelves along the walls, and, just like everything else in the store, even the shelves themselves vary in size, shape, and materials. In a display in the middle of the store, books are stacked in make-shift shelves made from vintage wooden orange crates and on a table. The store holds decades of work and dedication to the collectors who come work with Homer online from around the country, the Susquehanna University students who stop in regularly, and especially to the Selinsgrove community that inhabits the land around it.

In regard to the local community, I say especially because of the configuration of the room. As Gilda Bruckman of the feminist bookstore New Words put it, “how we featured books had a big effect on who came in” (Spain 88). The same can be said for DJ Ernst. As mentioned in my last blog post, Homer’s main customers have always been those who wanted to learn more about American–and Pennsylvanian, in particular–history. If this is his main market, it’s no surprise then that the history books should be towards the front of the store and or in the window displays facing Market Street. On the other side of the store, books on hunting, guns, birds, and other subjects a hunter or nature enthusiast needs also sit at the front of the store. This isn’t a coincidence, either; many people in the Susquehanna Valley hunt and fish. In addition to this, being so close to the Susquehanna River increases the need and desire to have these books in stock for the community and to make them easily accessible to customers.

Major community members (regardless of their more temporary living situation) are the Susquehanna University students and faculty, who may come in to peruse Homer’s collection of philosophical texts or his collections of low-price poetry and fiction. He even keeps music books in his stock, and his relationship with the school’s Creative Writing program means that he carries faculty publications, which sit in a shelf in front of his desk. DJ Ernst is a place where students can feel a part of the Selinsgrove community and participate in it, while also providing a place to engage in conversations with the books and with Homer, as the comfy armchair between the shelves and the sales desk suggests. The space is small and meant to facilitate a dialogue regarding the books and what lay between their covers.

Not far from that armchair, I notice the amount of books about ships and the sea on the same wall as the history books. While they fit into the history section, there seems to be a special reason why there are so many. When I talk to Homer about them, he smiles excitedly.

“I’m a really big fan of ships,” he says. “Those are some of my favorites.”

For some reason, this surprises me. Despite knowing his love and enthusiasm for many of the books that come into his store, it still seems like a strange idea that someone would stock their favorite books in their store, even if they may not sell as quickly as everything else. Throughout her book, Reluctant Capitalists, Laura J. Miller talks about chain bookstores and how their book selection process and floor plans have been rationalized and standardized over the years, meaning that, regardless of what state or town I’m in, I can walk into any chain and find a similar layout and similar (if not the exact same) books on the shelves. Often, these books are able to sell quickly and have larger audiences. The chain bookstore stocks what sells in every store, and maybe only provides variation in books about the particular state the store is in. Having grown up in stores like Borders and Books-A-Million, I could always find the same books in the almost the exact same place in any store.

On the other hand, Homer ultimately decides what books are in the store and how they’re set up in the space. This contributes to the idea that DJ Ernst is more than an independent store; it’s a personal store that’s based in a person’s interests and understanding of the community in which it resides. Homer isn’t relying on national bestseller’s lists or national trend studies; his own interests and the books his customers are looking for (as well as whatever used books end up in his possession) create the stock. The bookstore’s personality (a major selling point independents use in competition with the chains) is formed by and for Homer and the community.

Continuing with the previous idea that what’s available and easy to access informs who the customers are, Homer also happens to stock books that only a collector can imagine having. Here, the idea is not so much about what’s in the book, but rather what the book is and how old it is. As I talk to Homer, he points to some books stacked on the floor. He tells me that they’re early-edition Oz books, and my eyes grow wide. Such books would cost a fortune; I know that even if I had my wallet on me, there’s no way I could even afford one of them.

“People are always looking for copies of these books for their collections,” Homer says, delighted that I’m amazed by the bright hardcover books. “These’ll sell quickly.”

It’s clear that these aren’t the paperbacks that I’d find on the floor of the main part of the bookstore. These books are special, almost like gold. They could have serious deformities on the inside–a printer could have messed them up and made them illegible–and someone would still want them because such rare books are unique. Not everyone can say they have a full collection of early-edition Oz books, after all. Sometimes, a book has meaning beyond what’s between the covers. Merely owning these books, knowing their history and how their stories influenced American pop culture, is enough to shell out a thousand or two dollars. The book becomes, as Miller and booklovers the world over call it, a sacred object, something worth special treatment and reverence. Even if these books end up shipped off to another state, just having them there infuses the space with an air of importance.

Before I leave, I take a glance around at the eclectic mix of books along the walls and on the central display table. I look at them and see the imprint of the community and of the uniqueness of the books on the place, and I see how they’ve made the place both communal and personal.

Sources

Floor plan drawn by Erin Reid, edited through ThingLink by Erin Reid

Text

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

Spain, Daphne. “Feminist Bookstores: Building Identity.” Constructive Feminism. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2016. 84-110.