Square Books Space: Floor by Floor Evolution

Square Books, in all its glory.

           The sun is shining, and a calm breeze blows past me as I stand within Courthouse square, located in Oxford, Mississippi. My eyes glance from the Lafayette Courthouse, to the orange, aged building before me; Square Books. The building itself looks spotless, as if it were only there for not even a decade, even though it’s probably older than most. While the building isn’t a skyscraper, it stands tall at three stories. I can see within the window display a sign welcoming any and all who pass the location. In reality, I am sitting atop a comfy computer chair, staring at a zoomed-in version of Google-Maps, with a succulent PBR next to me. Virtually, however, the confines are what we consider place, are distorted, and I am standing right in the heart of Lafayette County. In exploring the independent bookstore that is Square Books, it is important to always pay attention to what each section adds to the overall definition of the stores individual space, and place.

BEFORE READING ON..

           Before stepping foot in any bookstore, let alone any establishment whatsoever, it is important to understand that there is a certain bias to the store itself. Staying in terms of independent bookstores, every single bookstore has an owner, who themselves have their own opinions on literature. As renowned book-collector Walter Benjamin, in his piece Illuminations, every collector has a passion for literature, and said passion “borders on the chaotic” (Benjamin 60). While bigger bookstore chains may have a wider pool to choose from, independent bookstores rely on the collecting of books by a small group of individuals. Selections may vary, and border on the line of obsession. Remember, though, it’s healthy.


 1. The Ground Floor: A Face Full of the South

           The ground floor of a bookstore, in terms of individual expression, shows off the heart of what that specific bookstore entails. Walking into Square Books, at first glance, my eyes quickly skim the surrounding environment. There are intricate carpets amongst the floor, as well as bookshelves as far as the eye can see. Peering at the massive bookshelf on the other side of the bookstore, one can tell how significant “Mississippi Literature” is to Square Books, as it encompasses of the wall. Apart from having its own section, another section of the ground floor is dedicated to“Mississippi Mysteries”, which encompasses mystery novels written by Mississippian authors. Just from looking at these sections alone, one can surmise that the identity of Southern literature—specifically Mississippian literature—is quintessential to the independent bookstore’s identity. Apart from the southern literature, the ground floor itself encompasses a wide variety of texts, such as “Just-in Hardcovers”, and even a section on business. From an entry level glance, Square Books as a place is deeply rooted within Southern literature, yet it offers literature that includes other audiences.There are two staircases that lead to the second level of Square Books, both having artistic steps labeled with the sections that reside at the upper levels of the store.

The rugs guide you throughout the store.

2. The Second Floor: An Ode to Things Forgotten

           In terms of hierarchy, the second floor can be described as “second best”, or rather what is considered the middle-tier of literature. Square Book’s infrastructure, however, does not entail a second floor, but rather a narrow hallway with several bookshelves, overlooking the ground floor. Subjects such as “Religion”, “Sexuality”, and “Philosophy” can be found within narrow walkway between two staircases. The space itself is small, which causes me to perceive the bookstore as not deeming those subjects as important as the other categories in the store. Instead, they have tucked them neatly aside, away from the main gaze of their audience. The works of Foucault, and Camus, are in a manner of speaking forgotten amongst the sea of literature that Square Books possesses.

           Consider, though, the addition that the overlook of the store adds to the definition of Square Book’s place. If the hallway isn’t crowded, one can stand freely, and look out onto the rest of the other occupants of the store, in an anthropological game of sorts. Imagine for a second viewing people walking around the store, and picking out Mississippian mysteries. You can see the type of people that choose certain types of literature, as well as what demographic of individuals frequent the store. While it may seem strange, in this addition of self-reflection, Square Books grows as a place. It is a bookstore that you can not only peruse literature, but also a hub of literary culture, that allows for a special ocular analysis.

The view is breathtaking, to say the least.

3. The Third Floor: Faulkner, and Food

           As with the other floors in the conception of space hierarchy, the third floor signifies the area which should encompass the crème de la crème, or the best of the best. I am met with “Sociology” on my left, and “Music”, “Poetry”, “African-American literature”, “Nature”, and “Science” to my far left. In my own opinion most of these subjects deserve to be at the top, however the order by which they are categorized has left me in a questionable state. Why is “Sociology” the first bookshelf I see? Why are “Nature” and “Science” on opposite sides of the same bookshelf? Furthermore, why is “Nature” at the top of the bookstore, whereas “Philosophy” is only on the second floor? Obviously, Square Books as a place must value Nature above Philosophy, which isn’t necessarily a negative attribute to have. It does however assist in defining where Square Books places emphasis.

The best photograph that could be found of the questionably categorized bookshelves.

           Walking past the questionably ordered bookshelves, as well as the wide exit/entrance staircase, I find myself standing within a cafe within a bookstore. And it isn’t even a Starbucks! The cafe doesn’t take up a majority of the third floor, and even has seating for those who care to chat and drink coffee while they read. As a place, Square Books offers not only literature, but an environment in which one can eat, and interact socially with others. The walls of the cafe, which act as walls for the room past it, are lined with “On Writing”, “Literary Non-Fiction” and “Southern Studies”.

           It is past the cafe, inside of the smaller section where the true treasure of Square Books lies. To my right, I can vividly make out a large display entitled “Faulkner”, where the owner has consciously ordered all of Faulkner’s works into one corner of the floor. Not only do his works garner their own section in Square books, but literature that critiques his own work have their own section as well, appropriately located on the bookshelf right next to it.

Faulkner: King of Oxford, Ms

           Let us take another approach to understanding the attraction that is the Faulkner corner. As Clifford states, in his piece “On Collecting Art and Culture”, a bookstore acts in an ethnographic fashion, as each individual bookshelf acts as “diverse experiences and facts” that are “selected, gathered, detached from their original temporal occasions, and given enduring value in a new arrangement” (Clifford 231). In both collecting, and displaying the works of Faulkner in a special manner, Richard Howarth, owner of Square Books, has detached Faulkner from his original time period, and has instead acts as a new arrangement.  Faulkner acts as an emblem for Square Books, as he emphasizes the literary side of Oxford, Ms in its entirety.


Sources

Written

Benjamin, Walter. “Unpacking My Library.” Illuminations. Ed. Hannah Arendt. Trans. Harry Zohn. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 59-67. Print.

Clifford, James. “On Collecting Art and Culture.”

Floor Layouts

Thinglink.com

 

 

Space and Objects First

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Space and objects are always in your face. While they may not be a top priority for brainpower, they still affect us in many ways because we constantly perceive them. Think about your own home. In some capacity, you consider your furniture, what may or may not be hanging from your walls, lighting, knick-knacks and other things. We all do this, and we do this because it is our stuff and because our stuff represents what we value and can determine what becomes attractive to us in the contexts of certain spaces.

“It is important to analyze how powerful discriminations made at particular moments constitute the general system of objects within which valued artifacts circulate and make sense…The critical history of collecting is concerned with what from the material world specific groups of individuals choose to preserve, value, and exchange.” (Clifford 221)

Thus we pick certain objects to keep in our home and others to exchange, the same way a store might pick and place certain objects to, ideally, get you to buy something but also to have a good experience while doing so. So if we walk into a bookstore, what kind of things are we thinking? Or better yet, what kind of things are we thinking about because of the things in the store? Maybe we are looking for a specific book in this specific store, or maybe we are just strolling about and something about the storefront pulled us in. Either way we have gone into the store (in this case Women & Children First) and we are now deciding if it was worth the time. That decision will be based on our perceptions of the space and objects with the rest of W&CF.

Inside, the first thing our eyes can assess is the dark, wooden floor. Then when we look up, we can see the gray walls are covered with shelves of books. Pretty characteristic of a book store so far. To the left, directly from the entrance, we can see the register area. To the left of that, there are cards and other gifts, pulling in the occasional card-buyer or birthday-forgetter. They sell a few things besides books, but those things are kept to a small area at the front of the store.

On the occasional open space of the walls, there are lists of bestsellers for each genre. We might think about buying a bestseller, or we might keep walking. Personally, I would head towards the fiction section, but for the sake of being objective, we will go where the human eye is most likely to go, straight ahead. As we walk, to our right is the fiction section I mentioned, with a small, new-nonfiction section closer the front entrance. Women write most of the books on the small display, which makes sense since the store is named Women & Children First. It’s fair to say that this display is appealing to women. The other interesting thing about this small nonfiction display is that looks like it was made out of an old filing cabinet. Possibly trying to create a nostalgic or vintage aesthetic.

“a scheme of classification is elaborated for storing or displaying the object so that the reality of the collection itself, its coherent order, overrides specific histories of the object’s production and appropriation,” (Clifford 220)

While these are new nonfiction books, the actual shelving is aged in appearance. A visual way of saying the old can make way for the new, which might somehow appeal to older consumers, or alternately it could represent a creative and environmentally friendly store owner. This is also the only metal display.

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The fiction section is made of wooden shelving. The fiction is given space priority, having three, tall shelves to house them. Further ahead, and given similar space priority, is the LGBTQ book section. Based on the fact that these two genres make up an entire wall of the store, we can assume Women & Children First prioritizes fiction and LGBTQ works. Now the shelves that house these two genres have three openings that each showcase the books to the customer. At the same time, the space is open so the customer can move freely while browsing.

At the back of the store, or the east side of the store, is the Children’s Section. While there is not a sign, it is referred to as the Children’s Section. “Naming is one of the ways space can be given meaning and become place.” (Cresswell 9) The Children’s Section is more than its name, but referring to the space as the Children’s Section creates comfort for children, and also notes that all the books in the section appeal to children. To label it anything else, like “fiction” or history” would be confusing for children. So this area is meant to be inviting in the simplest way. There are pillows, throw rugs and seating to house readings that are hosted within the space. Children can sit or even lie down and listen to a book being read. The shelving here is different, still wood, but the books are arranged to display their covers. Mostly likely to get the attention of children, who are more interested in visuals when considering their own things.

If we turn and walk to the left, putting the Children’s Section to our right, further back and past a wall on our left, there is a community space for events. In this space, there is a long, dark, rectangular table with chairs surrounding it. The arrangement implies a close, friendly atmosphere. Everyone is face-to-face and can speak directly to one another, shelves of books line the walls of the room behind the Community Space where returns can be made. Local authors can hold readings in the Community space which makes the close arrangement of furniture beneficial for a curious consumer.

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On our way out, we pass a few table displays, most likely fiction if we decide to pass the cashier, maybe more new books. We realize that the store is not that large, it is not quite small either. For the amount of space dedicated to local activity, it maintains a well-stocked store with clear and comfortable browsing. Because of that, sure we might not buy something today, but we know from the way the store is arranged and labeled, that we will come back to buy something one day, we will know it will be a pleasant experience.

Sources

Cresswell, Tim. Place: A Short Introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004. Print.

Clifford, On Collecting Art and Culture. Print.

Thirteen-by-Fifteen: A Look At GBM’s First Location

In 1920, Frances Steloff paid the first month’s rent for a basement apartment that she turned into a bookstore, she called Gotham Books and Art. Her first payment of $75 covered a twelve-by-fifteen feet sales floor, a three-by-three feet window display, and a ten-by-fifteen feet kitchen that she could gain access to if need be. Six months after her first payment, her stock of 175 books increased and began to overflow the sale floor. Steloff’s reaction was to get access to the kitchen area and use it as a secondary sales floor for her rare and out-of-print books.

Feel free to run your cursor over the floor plan above. The black circles indicated stories and information about the rooms and furniture. In contrast, the green circles describe my own narrative and thoughts on the place and it’s decor.

The main sale floor was divided into sides by an eight-by-three table directly in the middle. At the center of this table was Steloff’s working desk. Additionally, the two sides acted as bookshelves. On this table, books were organized with the title and front cover facing upward, not with the spine facing the ceiling. Once this table became full, Steloff piled additional books on top of each other. Having two separate sides to the bookstore outlined two major goals of GBM, to allow customers a place to look at and purchase books, as well as provide customers a space to read, discuss, and enjoy those books. Lastly, this separation acted as the only control Steloff had over the traffic flow. Therefore, customers had the freedom to treat GBM as a place to quickly buy a book and leave, as well as a place to linger.

The side that exhibited the goal of finding and purchasing books had five five-by-five feet wooden bookshelves lining the wall.  Originally, books on these shelves had the front cover facing toward the center of the sales floor, not spine-outward. Customers would comment that although it made the small collection take up more space, it put a large focus on the furniture itself: “To be sure, the store didn’t look empty. You might have wondered whether the furniture was there to aid in selling books, or the books were in the background for selling the furniture. She could fill up about five five-foot shelves provided many books were displayed the wide-way—front out instead of spine out” (Rogers 64). catsArranging books in this manner changed as she added more books to her collection. Not only did the books line shelves standing vertically with their spines outward, they also layered horizontally on top of one another, piling on the top of the shelves until they touched the ceiling.  Although it was reported that as the store gathered more inventory, it appeared messy, Steloff had a distinct order in which she would categorize the books into sections based on topic or cost.

In regards to stock at this location, Steloff attended to a specific clientele interested in theater, art, and design: “Thus not preference but haphazard pressures turned her into a specialist in two profitable fields: art and theater. As Mischke had foretold, her customers educated her” (Rogers 74). While she focused her stock around her customer base, Steloff had a direct relationship with each book that became part of her original collection: “Once upon a time she had read every book she owned: the James, the Browning, and all those included in the original stock. But such a detailed familiarity couldn’t be kept up. It was impossible in spite of the fact that all the books were the kind she loved” (Rodgers 77). Keeping a relationship with her collection speaks the idea that things, like books, create identity: “…identity, whether cultural or personal, presupposes acts of collection, gathering up possessions in arbitrary systems of value and meaning” (Clifford 217). Before Steloff would allow these books to represent her and her business, she needed to familiarize herself with the collection.

The second half of the store provided more of a homey feeling, that that invited customers to linger, shop, and chat during their time at GBM. Although this side also had a five-by-five feet bookshelf, it hosted to other furniture commonly found in homes. One of these was a furnace. Although this furnace was not added by Steloff, it served multiple purposes in the shop. For example, while providing heat to the small sales floor, the furnace added to the homey environment. Another furniture item in the shop that added to the ambiance was straight-chairs. GBM started with only three chairs for customers, and during the late night hours they became an essential place for academic and leisurely conversation among actors and artists. Eventually, one straight-chair had to be used as an extension of the long middle table and began to hold stacks of books. While the chair gained a new use, Steloff realized the importance of having somewhere for customers to sit, and added a rocking chair to the space.

gotham front

Steloff effectively utilized the front of her store as well. The three steps leading customers from the street toward the front door was surrounded by two bookshelves. These bookshelves held book jackets, pamphlets, fliers, photographs, etc: “The entrance is booby-trapped. On one side of book jackets in the show window distracts the eye…They can draw the incautious browser’s attention hazardously away from the couple of steps down, the ninety degree left turn and the half step up that guide him into the Gotham Book Mart” (Rodgers 5). This outdoor collection served many purposes for the bookstore. One of these purposes was to attract customers inward via colorful paper flaps blowing from the wind. In addition to the odd movements and colors attracting customers, many people walking by would ask about or comment on what happened to the outdoor collection when it started to rain or snow. Due to the frequency of these questions and comments, Steloff was able to give her storefront and herself voice before meeting the customer through a meaningful pun that followed the store through its advancement: “We take them in.” A second purpose was to have the storefront define the shop as a bookstore. This was especially important since this storefront was owned by a tailor before Gotham’s arrival.

 

Beside the bookshelves sat a three-by-three foot window display that jetted outward toward the street. Steloff put a small curtain in the window display to demonstrate the established homey atmosphere. In addition, she themed the window display around popular or expensive books. Her emphasis on these books exhibited a hierarchy in her collection: “All such collections embody hierarchies of value, exclusions, rule-governed territories of the self” (Clifford 219). By keeping books that she defined as higher in the hierarchy in the front on display (in contrast to having low-value collections kept on outdoor bookshelves), Steloff identified herself and her store as a place where customers can find top value books. Her customers desire to purchase these books, in addition to her own drive to keep them in stock, reflected the idea that collecting displays a type of class and wealth: “But the notion that this gathering involves the accumulation of possessions, the idea that identity is a kind of wealth (of objects, knowledge, memories, experience)” (Clifford 218).  This projected wealth was used to determine the value of books, in addition to the value of the reader.

In this way, GBM’s original location was successful due to Steloff’s customers desire to own a book that represented their identity. The value of the book doing so, although  imposed on by Steloff, was created by customers based on rarity, topic, and price. Therefore, these books became projections of the customer: “Though art may seem to be, most fundamentally, “a projection of our mental images upon the world of things,” this is art that instead shows how weary that world has become of all our projections” (Brown 15). Furthermore, the open floor plan created by Steloff allowed customers the freedom to spend time in the area of the store that they associate their identity with, the bookshelves or the furnace.

 

Sources:

Text:

Brown, Bill. “Thing Theory.” Critical Inquiry Vol. 28, No. 1. p 1-22.

Clifford, James. The Predicament of Culture: Twentieth-century Ethnography, Literature, and Art. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1988.

Rogers, W. G. Wise Men Fish Here: The Story of Frances Steloff and the Gotham Book Mart. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1965. Print.

 

Images from Post:

cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com

sonnetsat4am.blogspot.com

utzling.blogspot.com

 

Floor Plan:

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Images from Floor Plan:

bookpatrol.tumblr.com

ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com

www.studyblue.com

www.upenn.edu