Welcome Home: Molly’s Books & Records

Welcome Home: Molly’s Books & Records

By Ella Baker, Natalie Chamberlain, Kendall Reif, Lexie Kauffman, and Liann Quinones Melendez

In the heart of Philadelphia’s historic Italian Marketplace, Molly Russakoff invites wanderers into her home, Molly’s Books & Records. By sharing the unique culture of its surroundings, this personal bookstore blurs the line between business and family. 

The mosaic storefront // Photo credit: Molly’s Books & Records Facebook

The eye-catching mosaic storefront coaxes guests off the streets and draws them to the boxes of bargain books, records, and movies that frame the front door. Russakoff’s touch is evident from the start; a hand-painted sandwich board sits alongside the curb and gems from her collection are featured in the window. It feels inviting and familiar, like returning home after a long day. Even before they take a step inside, Russakoff considers everyone guests rather than customers. 

“It’s our home,” Russakoff said when asked about the atmosphere of her store. “We like to keep that feeling, where you’re coming into our home. [It’s] bright [and] organized. We like things to be easy to find and we like to be helpful and friendly.”

As the glass door opens, 600 square-feet of paradise is revealed where hand-painted signs hang proudly from the ceiling and colorful tile covers the floor. Russakoff knows that navigating a literary landscape can be daunting, and that’s why she meticulously crafted hand-painted signs for each section. They guide guests through the literary genres and authors, ensuring everyone can easily find their next great read. The signs point to different CD’s and records that line the wall to the right with the poetry section next to it. These shelves are symbolic of the owners themselves: Molly Russakoff and Joe Ankenbrand, a poet and musician.

Handmade greeting cards made by Molly Russakoff // Photo credit: Abigail Weil

Books and records are not the only items that reside within Russakoff’s place. Like many bookstores, Molly’s Books & Records sells non-book items around the store. According to Lydia Pyne, a historian and writer, “Putting not-books on a shelf in addition to actual books is a way of declaring one’s identity and individuality” (Pyne 25); Molly’s fully embodies Pyne’s ideas on expression through objects.

This is evident in the mugs and trinkets, adorned with beloved store motifs, that are thoughtfully placed, serving as a reminder that this is more than just a business; it’s a labor of love. Even more, scattered along the endcaps are notecards, featuring art from children’s books, a reminder that this is a space where the young and old come together to explore the loveliness of literature. The handmade nature of their not-books and the homey-feel of the mugs all point towards the larger theme of Molly’s Books & Records: home.

The checkout counter // Photo Credit: Marietta C

Inside this home, the check-out counter functions as a foyer. It’s directly to the left, usually staffed by Russakoff’s son, Johnny, or Russakoff and Ankenbrand themselves. The store cat, Mrs. Stevenson, roams the store and the apartment above, where Russakoff and her family live, effectively bridging the business and the family home. Even the family cat treats customers like they’re part of the family, choosing a lucky guest to tag-along with on their journey through the shelves.

The store is split into three general sections. The first section is the busiest and functions most like a family room, the hub of all household activity. Here, at the front of the store, Russakoff and Ankenbrand’s passions—poetry and music—are most on display. Past the checkout counter is a long wall of fiction. The shelves of books amass the space, from floor to ceiling. Pyne hypothesizes that bookshelves control how one interacts with a space. She states, “Bookshelves serve as powerful symbols” (Pyne 81). They “immediately cue us to how we ought to interact with a room and how much importance or power we assign it” (Pyne 81). Molly’s bookshelves welcome guests into the store and keep the space warm and homey. There is no social prejudice or hierarchy in the shelves that overflow with books. The lighter wood—oak, maybe pine—is inviting and approachable. This is an affordable wood that makes a bookshelf that doesn’t judge its customers or its contents. It’s not fancy; it’s simple, like it’s there for everyone to enjoy.

Fiction Wall (wall furthest from the entrance) // Photo Credit: Kirstie Ellen

In addition to these bookshelves, Russakoff intentionally chooses the lighting for her store to curate a sense of comfort and ease. The fluorescent lights are chosen for their brightness, allowing customers to easily read titles on the shelves. However, Russakoff ensures that the lighting is not too harsh; it’s bright enough to facilitate browsing but soft enough to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere. In this subtle way, she makes the space accessible, not just physically but also aesthetically.

Russakoff’s commitment to creating an accessible space is reflected by the content she sells. All of the books are used—in other words, they’ve been loved before—and reasonably priced. They’re arranged with their spines out, and ordered alphabetically by the authors’ last names. Filled-to the brim and charmingly unpredictable, the shelves create a lived-in and happy atmosphere. The inventory is updated, relevant, and carefully organized. Russakoff’s curated selection of fiction is a testament to her own literary preferences, featuring titles by renowned authors like Atwood, Hemingway and Faulkner, among many others. Her wish is to share what she loves, whilst still having something for everyone who comes in. 

The next section of Molly’s operates as a sitting room—a place of conversation, community and culture. It begins with two categories: Local and Philosophy/Religion. This section forms a rectangular alcove that has general nonfiction books to the right and art to the left. The other literature sections reflect different facets of personal life, each item handpicked. These things can all hold stories, memories, and meanings. On the top of the shelves, Russakoff displays her collection of rare and valuable books. She doesn’t cross paths with items like these frequently, but when she does, she ensures they are priced fairly while still receiving the return they deserve. The store is truly Russakoff’s personal library, as seen in the floor plan below. 

A comprehensive floor plan of Molly’s Books & Records, originally drawn by Molly Russakoff. Please note that this is not drawn fully to scale.

Molly’s Books & Records leans into this personal aspect in every detail. This is evident when entering the heart of the home, the metaphorical kitchen. The cookbook room is signaled by a white and blue hand-painted sign that hangs above the narrow wooden doorway. Within the room, shelves overflow with cookbooks from an amalgamation of cuisines and cultures.

Molly Russakoff standing in the Cookbook Room, under a hand-painted sign that marks the entrance to the room. // Photo Credit: Natalie Piserchio

About seven years ago, Russakoff decided to bring her love of food and cooking into the bookstore via an extensive culinary collection. In this section, guests can find anything from general cookbooks to chef biographies. The selection is diverse and flexible because Molly’s Books & Records has a loose definition of food writing. Their stock includes “biographies and memoirs, essay collections by writers like MFK Fisher, and reference works” (Weil) as well as what one would expect. This space provides an important connection between Molly’s and the surrounding community, perpetuating the intentions of the Italian Market. 

For over 40 years, Russakoff has lived and loved in The Italian Marketplace, a place of preserved culture and cuisine. The distinctive culture of the area reflects itself in a strong literary community, in which Russakoff is acutely connected. 

Russakoff’s father, Jerome Russakoff, opened his own indie bookstore—Russakoff’s Books and Records—sometime between 1982 and 1986 on 259 South 10th Street. Eventually, in 1997 Jerome handed down ownership of the shop to Molly Russakoff’s brother, Joe Russakoff. Since then, Russakoff’s Books and Records has officially been known as Mostly Books and has relocated to 529 Bainbridge Street in the early 2000s. Considering this familial history of bookselling, it should not have come to any surprise that Molly Russakoff would continue the tradition and open up her own bookshop. 

Around 2000, Russakoff purchased the property that Molly’s Books & Records currently operates on. Since then, she has opened and subsequently closed various businesses on this property: Molly’s Cafe, Bella Vista Natural Foods, and Molly’s Cafe and Bookstore. Russakoff raised her kids—Karla and Johnny—above the transformative space. This building is a part of the family, and she was determined to keep a business going in the community she loved. 

This timeline tracks the history of Molly Russakoff, the owner of the independent bookstore Molly’s Books & Records in Philly, PA. It focuses on the idea of Molly’s shop as a homestead that has a long series of preceding events leading to its creation. By connecting each event to this idea of forming a ‘home’ within a bookstore, the development of Molly’s mindset toward her business is visible as well as the factors that have led to the success/resilience of Molly’s Books & Records.


In the late 2000’s, she partnered with her now-husband, Joe Ankenbrand. The two met after Rusakoff had just closed her store, and was planning to reopen once again as a bookstore. She was in possession of records that she didn’t know how to price. Ankenbrand, who knew Rusakoff’s brother, had been a vinyl record collector since 1964, so she went to him for advice. The two combined forces and the rest, as they say, was history. 

Molly’s Books & Records opened in 2010, and a few years later, Russakoff and Ankenbrand were married in the bookstore, their home, surrounded by all the things they loved. They briefly ran an outlet for excess merchandise that did not fit the original store’s identity on Passyunk Avenue, a street away from the central location, but it was only open for a year and a half before the couple made the decision to close it. This experience made them realize that they’d rather focus their attention on one place and develop a single dedicated location for their guests: Molly’s Books & Records.

Every business venture Russakoff made in South Philadelphia was an attempt to create place, which according to human geographer Tim Cresswell is essentially defined as “a space invested with meaning” (Cresswell 12). Time and time again, Russakoff invested meaning into the building on 1010 South 9th Street. Every business she operated connected with the community and established relationships with the people of Bella Vista. Russakoff’s focus on home coincides perfectly with the history of the Italian Marketplace because South Philadelphia has been a haven for Italian immigration since the late 18th century. The map below works to further depict the way that Molly’s Books & Records functions within the surrounding Bella Vista neighborhood. It highlights the emphasis on food in the community and the businesses of various origins that call the neighborhood their home. Some markers work to show the emphasis on community in the area.

This map of Bella Vista features the locations of Molly Russakoff’s former businesses, showing us just how close together they have all been, and how Molly has repeatedly searched to establish her ‘home’ in the Italian Marketplace. Some markers on the map work to show the emphasis of community in the area.

Historically, Bella Vista was the core for Italian-immigrant life, and it was here that they attempted to preserve Italian identity in a Western culture. They moved into this neighborhood and worked hard to make it a multifunctional home. For example, when Italian immigrants settled in the neighborhood, they were able to adapt their housing to supply goods and services for Italian households. They would transform the first floor to be their shop, while using the rest of the building as a homestead, blurring the line between business and home even then. This historical architecture is still visible today in shops like Molly’s Books & Records. The bottom floor remains a commercial space to share cultures and passions, while the upper floor is Russakoff’s home where she raised her kids and lives a life of love.   

9th Street’s Italian Market thrives on love, like Russakoff. Its retailers are beyond passionate, and its beauty comes from the rich individuality of every single place. In his work Defining Place, 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” (Cresswell 11). Evidently, the neighborhood of Bella Vista has chosen to emphasize one thing in particular: food. Food is something that can be almost perfectly translated across place and time: with the same recipes and ingredients, food can be timeless. In fact, over one hundred years later, many of the original vendors and businesses remain in the area. However, the food market itself has diversified as new waves of immigration entered Philadelphia. In 1983, the first Korean-owned establishment joined the many businesses within the Italian Marketplace (Tangires). From then on, different cuisines—from Mexican, to Chinese, to Vietnamese—can now be found alongside the Italian classics. Currently, the Bella Vista neighborhood houses many different ethnicities, with 17.7% Italian descendants, 16.5% Irish descendants, and 11.7% of German descendants, according to the United States Census Bureau. The diversity in the community is manifested in rich history and a mutual love of food. The neighborhood’s vast population of restaurants and stores with food-related wares communicates a desire to preserve its residents’ culture.

A snapshot of the extensive cookbook collection at Molly’s Books & Records // Photo Credit: Abigail Weil

The store symbolizes a genuine melting pot, as it serves the diverse community with culturally-enriched literature. Russakoff’s focus on cookbooks assists the neighborhood’s mission to define a sense of community and helps Molly’s Books & Records solidify their position in the culture of Bella Vista. In her book Reluctant Capitalists, sociologist Laura J. Miller explains that independent bookstores, such as Molly’s Books & Records, “assume position as cultural authorities” (Miller 84).

Molly’s Books & Records pursued this task of representing the culinary cultures of Bella Vista through a carefully curated cookbook collection. Considering Bella Vista’s history with immigration and cultural diversity, the cookbook collection extends its range far beyond the neighborhood’s Italian population with books “devoted to Pennsylvania Dutch, African American, Native American, Jewish, Scandinavian, Indian, and Middle Eastern cuisines, among others” (Weil). In their pursuit of diverse cultural representation through cookbooks, Molly’s Books & Records became the intersection of culinary and literary cultures in South Philadelphia.

This intersection creates a new and unique function of the store. It seems less like a commercial endeavor, and more like a place of learning. Russakoff invites guests into her home to share the history of the surrounding community as well as her own, almost like pulling old family photo albums out from the attic. She seems to make reading—and the exploration of lifestyles that comes with reading—approachable with her low prices, well-loved stock, and personally curated selection. Her store appears to be a convergence point of culture, providing knowledge for all.

Each book on her shelves is a lesson plan for the community. Russakoff’s definition of literature seems didactic—something that’s intended to teach life-lessons and broaden perspectives. The store may be a place of learning, but the books on the shelves provide the physical teaching materials. Some stock, like the cookbooks, are literal step-by-step instructions. The literature serves the guests and teaches the community, just waiting to be discovered and appreciated.

From the shelves, books and trinkets, to the host herself, this place welcomes everyone home. Molly’s Books & Records is a source of love—love for knowledge, love for oneself, love for community, love for culture, and love for food. 

Works Cited

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Rich Intentions & a Love of Books: The History of Midtown Scholar Bookstore

When Midtown Scholar’s owners, Eric Papenfuse and Catherine Lawrence, met, they bonded over their shared love of books. Who would have known that over 20 years later, they would own one of the best indie bookstores in the country?

Papenfuse and Lawrence had already married each other when they decided to begin selling used books online in 1999. The official establishment of Midtown Scholar came two years later in 2001, when their niche was solidified in scholarly and academic books. However, the bookstore would not have a public, in-person location until 2003, when the doors of the old midtown post office were opened once again, this time with books lining the shelves. The Scholar was moved into the 1920s theater turned furniture store on the corner of 3rd Street and Verbeke Street in 2007 after extensive renovations on the building.

In April of 2023, Midtown Scholar held an interview with the owners about the origins of the store, and what it means to them. Something fascinating about the time Midtown Scholar came about as online bookselling is that it is the same period that Amazon began to show up as an online bookselling service. When asked about whether they found this worrying in the beginning, the co-owners pointed out that Amazon’s existence was an assist to them in ways. They were able to watch Amazon to keep their fingers on the pulse of what was popular, what was hard to get, and what was not selling as well. They make a point to find what is hard to find or what may not have large quantities published within the academic and scholarly world, so they have whatever people need. Their academic catalog is considered the largest between New York City and Chicago (Cheney).

One of the ways the store is stocked is through the closing of other indie bookstores. Papenfuse and Lawrence have traveled the country buying the stocks of shops that are closing to stock their shelves. They find rare titles, collector’s editions, and whatever else they can within these sales, and it keeps the memories of the original stores tied to them and the Scholar. Now, Midtown Scholar houses over 200,000 titles in store and over 2 million titles online, new and used from a variety of genres, so their consumers can find whatever they need. They began the Harrisburg Book Festival in 2012 to circulate stock, and it has become so much larger in the years since.

One of the things Catherine Lawrence made a point of in the interview was the intentionality they put into every piece of the Scholar. The name, Midtown Scholar Bookstore, was an intentional choice by the two when they established their first location. Even though their new store was on the outskirts of midtown Harrisburg, the Midtown Cinema was already in place, and they took inspiration. Papenfuse and Lawrence wanted people who heard the name to believe the store could be a part of the midtown for any city in the country. The Harrisburg community is extremely integral to the Scholar, Eric Papenfuse even having served as mayor of the city from 2014-2022, but those who know nothing about the store and its culture could make assumptions off the name and look it up later. This would open them up more to a nationwide audience, especially alongside their niche in the scholarly and academic book realm as well.

It is key to note the store’s location within midtown Harrisburg because Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. This means that prominent people, especially politicians, are visiting the city. Back in 2016, while Hilary Clinton was on her campaign tour, Bill Clinton made a point to visit the Scholar, staying for about an hour, browsing books, talking about books, and buying books. Its placement between more major cities like NYC, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh also gives them a prime place for well-known authors to come and speak.

Because the Scholar will occasionally host more controversial figures in the hopes of allowing people exposure to ideas that may not be their own, there have been worries over the years of protests breaking out at their events. This has not been a concern brought to fruition, but it shows the points of both Archibald MacLeish in “A Free Man’s Books” and Jack Perry in his article, “Bookstores, Communist and Capitalist.” MacLeish points out the power of the written word displaying how it was one of the first things regulated and destroyed when power was being sought by the Nazi party. Perry shows this same notion with his exploration of how other nations have such difficulty getting their hands on books and when they do, those publications tend to be filled with propaganda. He wants people to realize the true worth of a good bookstore where ideas from any side can be shared and discussed because it is not that way worldwide. “I decided along the way that the importance, for me at least, of having a comfortable bookstore at hand with a wide and free choice of books could not be exaggerated… If we lose the individual, the eccentric, the out-of-the-way, from our world of books, we lose too much. All the first-rate writing and conscientious publishing in the world will not help us unless we have good bookstores to entice us to where the good books are,” (Perry p. 111).

One of the most well-known of the intentional pieces in the bookstore is the mural that wraps the inside walls of the main room of the building. Papenfuse and Lawrence commissioned the work from Steve Feaser, their neighbor and friend, for the outside of the original building. The old post office was an odd-looking place, and they wanted to make it beautiful and attract people. The mural is named “Life Along the River” and is a collection of the sketches Feaser did throughout his years in Harrisburg during his people watching expeditions along Front Street at the Susquehanna River. Papenfuse describes it as a “historical montage.” They explain that they were able to fit the mural inside the new building perfectly, to their surprise and joy, and they felt it would really emulate their goal of bringing the community together not just to buy books but to discuss them or to discuss anything they found worthy.

Midtown Scholar’s owners embedded into their store and its culture other ideals of MacLeish that he expressed in “A Free Man’s Books.” MacLeish said, “Books, in the last century and the century before, were sold by men who knew them not as packages but as books—men who had, and were entitled to have, opinions about the content and the value of the books they sold—men whose customers came to them, not to learn how many copies of a given novel had been sold before, but to talk about the novel itself—the innards of the novel—the quality of the book… 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 p. 13).

In the same April 2023 interview, the owners are asked about their feelings on chain bookstores, particularly those in the area at the time of their opening and at present. Something they made a point of in their answers was that they had no qualms with the chain stores because their goal at Midtown Scholar is different than that of the bigger bookstores. Eric Papenfuse says, “One of the things that we’ve tried to do is, actually, we do want to try to challenge you a little bit. We’re not just interested in giving you what you want so to speak, but we also want to suggest some books that maybe you don’t even know you want. And that’s part of the journey of discovery that takes place in the Scholar. Some people call us a labyrinth because we have so many floors and different spaces to go, and when I go to a bookstore I like the feeling of coming across a new book and saying, ‘I didn’t even know I wanted to read that,’ or ‘I didn’t know I needed that,’ and that is a different type of shopping than going to a chain.” His expression here is one that embodies the ideal MacLeish puts forth, saying that they at Midtown Scholar are enthusiastic booksellers, who want to help their customers discover new things and sit and stay awhile instead of walking in for one book and walking back out again when they find it.

Following its foundation, the Midtown Scholar Bookstore has become a beloved staple in the Harrisburg community. In May of 2023, it won the award for “Bookstore of the Year” from Publisher’s Weekly out of several bookstores nationwide. Its message and purpose, instilled in the culture of the store and the area from the beginning, has remained throughout the years.

Citations

Text

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Cheney, Jim. “Visiting Midtown Scholar Bookstore: Harrisburg’s Best Destination for Literary Lovers.” Uncovering PA, 6 Sept. 2023, uncoveringpa.com/midtown-scholar-bookstore.

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Midtown Scholar Bookstore. Harrisburg Book Festival, www.hbgbookfest.com/. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore. “Live | the Story of an Independent Bookstore with Catherine Lawrence and Eric Papenfuse.” YouTube, YouTube, 27 Apr. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpdFCTpNQj4&ab_channel=MidtownScholarBookstore.

Perry, Jack. “Bookstores, Communist and Capitalist.” The American Scholar, 2001, pp. 107–111.

Schweigert, Keith. “Harrisburg’s Midtown Scholar Bookstore Named Publishers Weekly Bookstore of the Year.” Fox43.Com, 23 May 2023, www.fox43.com/article/news/local/dauphin-county/midtown-scholar-harrisburg-publishers-weekly-bookstore-of-the-year/521-d50a4ae9-b492-4523-9d70-2148bea5429d.

Images

Franz, Elizabeth. Harrisburg’s about to get even more colorful: Murals in the capital city. 1 Sept. 2017. Pennlive, https://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/09/harrisburg_murals_festival_spr.html. Accessed 10 Oct. 2023.

Hoffman, Michael. Midtown Scholar Bookstore. 16 June 2016. Flikr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/mhoffman1/9060576278. Accessed 10 Oct. 2023.

“Midtown Scholar Acquires Book Collection, New Store.” 9 April 2019. Shelf Awareness, https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3469#m44012. Accessed 10 Oct. 2023.

Timeline

Created by Olivia Neumyer using Time Graphics

Sign of the Times: Midtown Scholar & Metamorphosis

Sign of the Times: Midtown Scholar & Metamorphosis

The Midtown neighborhood in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has always served as a cornerstone of culture and prosperity, long before the city that surrounds it even existed. What began as farmland for the wealthy during early colonial America gradually evolved into the heart of the state’s capitol, bursting at the seams with art, opportunity, and education. Adam Porter, owner of the Midtown Cinema, spoke to the nature of the neighborhood, referencing former mayor Eric Papenfuse by saying “When the Mayor cut our ribbon at the grand reopening in 2013, he said they named the bookstore that because the Midtown Cinema was already there. They understood placemaking.”

I personally feel this quote highlights the spirit of not only Midtown Scholar, but of the neighborhood at large; digging deeper into Porter’s meaning, the neighborhood was originally referred to as “Uptown,” the term Midtown coming directly from the community. Around the middle of the 20th century, the neighborhood advocacy group Midtown Square Action Council (MSAC) popularized the current name. In an interview held this year on the Midtown Scholars’ YouTube channel, the aforementioned Papenfuse describes community-driven bookstores as a living, breathing part of the area, and that they must remain local in order to properly impact their demographics.

Photo of Broad Street Market, the oldest operating farmers’ market in the nation. Located adjacent to the Midtown Scholar.

In the same interview, he also discusses how he views chains in relation to independent bookstores, describing that they both serve different interests and demographics, but the independent bookstore seeks to “do what chains can’t do,” and provide their customers with a personalized, individual experience that can help them broaden their sights on education as a whole. This notion harkens back to what Laura Miller covers in chapter two of Reluctant Capitalists, mentioning the difference between independent bookstores and chains, and how it’s almost a David and Goliath situation; while chains are able to sell titles en masse, independent bookstores have the challenge of making a name for themselves, and this crucial dilemma is where the Midtown Scholar’s story begins.

When the Midtown Scholar Bookstore first opened their doors in what co-owner Papenfuse described to be a “half 19th-century townhouse, half 1950s post office” on the corner of 3rd and Reilly in Harrisburg, the two owners never anticipated the allure and reputation their once humble storefront would attain– now serving as one of the premier literature destinations on the east coast. Although the bookstore has only existed for a relatively small amount of time, a little over two decades, the impact they’ve had on the surrounding community is immeasurable. 

Through reinvigorating local academia, bringing life to the once abandoned Midtown Historic District, and pioneering the largest annual literature festival in Harrisburg (among many other accomplishments), Midtown Scholar has been vital to the continued growth of this neighborhood. Although the modern store has 15,000 square feet of retail space with over 300,000 titles, Midtown Scholar began as a much smaller endeavor, initially launched as an online bookstore out of the owners’ home.

Before their first brick-and-mortar storefront opened in 2003, owners Catherine Lawrence and Eric Papenfuse had been selling books online since 2001. Operating exclusively out of the couples’ home, a shared love of literature and its impact on society prompted the two to market a broad selection of titles to the general public. At around the same time, Amazon started to gain traction as an online book retailer, which had the potential to threaten business for the Midtown Scholar; instead, this paved the way for the Scholar to differentiate its appeal while remaining successful through their online store, adapting to one of the first major threats to its longevity.

An illustration of Harrisburg after the Civil War, in the midst of its industrial revolution.

When asked how they were able to compete with digital-retail goliaths and chain bookstores, Lawrence responded by saying that for every chain that sells fifty copies of a book, Midtown Scholar has fifty unique titles instead. This sentiment harkens back to readings we’ve covered, most specifically the excerpt from W. G. Rogers’ Wise Men Fish Here, which stresses the unique and timeless nature of bookselling. Much like the storefront in the essay, Midtown Scholar began small and slowly expanded its space and collections, before gradually snowballing into the beacon of bookselling it stands as today.

W.G. Rogers’ essay places great emphasis on the value of a title– not in price, but in the content it holds– and it would be remiss to ignore that the owners share this sentiment, challenging their average patron to expand their scope of literature, described by Papenfuse as “a different type of shopping,” one that could push the consumer outside of their comfort zone. While they were continually successful with their online bookselling, the owners realized that the wealth and broad nature of texts they possessed– over 15,000 books ranging from academia to fiction to art– appealed to the consumer better when they were able to observe them; to see, feel, and interact with a bookstore that seemed to exist out of time. 

After two years of selling books through their website, the owners decided to purchase the aforementioned “1950s post office” in Midtown, converting the loading dock and ground floor to support the online end of the business, and having the top floor become a bookstore reminiscent of the owners’ favorites along the east coast. Lawrence described the state of Midtown as a “book desert” prior to their arrival, being the first independent bookstore opened in the area. The owners remained at this location until early 2007, when in the midst of the real-estate crisis they purchased a run-down furniture warehouse, adjacent to what was once a theater. Renovations began that same year, concluding in 2008, when the modern Midtown Scholar storefront was opened to the public.

Lawrence and Papenfuse went above and beyond in transforming the store to match their vision, renovating both buildings at the new location from top to bottom. They knocked down walls, excavated basements, and transformed the interior fundamentally from what it began as, connecting the two buildings by tunneling through the foundation. The owners described the store as “everything being intentional from the ground up,” showing the heartfelt care they put into fostering a space for book-lovers and scholars alike. As their new location grew and their contents expanded, the owners began to understand the importance of the location they inhabited: Harrisburg, as described by Papenfuse, serves as “a wonderful crossroads on the east coast,” and more specifically to his bookstore, it served as a “catalyst for civic engagement and urban development.” 

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, however, the Midtown Scholar had to close its doors to the public. Despite this, they still managed to remain in business through their online bookstore, shipping them to people while they quarantined. Quickly making the shift to exclusively online commerce, Midtown Scholar was able to conduct over 300 Zoom interviews with publishers, authors, and other prominent literary figures, along with online events that kept their customers engaged.

Overall, the Midtown Scholar has had an indelible impact on its community throughout its somewhat short lifespan. Papenfuse and Lawrence were the driving force behind creating the Annual Harrisburg Book Festival, which began in 2009; over the years, this event they began has evolved into something so much more, hosting an array of panels, signings, and events for the public. The store itself is dedicated to preserving history, hosting collections of unique, eclectic titles that paint a broad picture of their love of literature. This love of literature which seeps from the very foundation of the Midtown Scholar was the basis of its creation in the first place; literature and their shared love of it brought owners Eric Papenfuse and Catherine Lawrence together, and they hope to share this vision with the greater Harrisburg area through their continued drive to create a space where individuals from all backgrounds can equally pursue education.

Works Cited

“About Us.” Midtown Scholar Bookstore, www.midtownscholar.com/history-and-mission. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023. 

Op de Beeck, Nathalie. “U.S. Book Show 2023: Midtown Scholar.” PublishersWeekly.Com, 12 May 2023, www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/92294-u-s-book-show-2023-midtown-scholar.html. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023

“LIVE | The Story of an Independent Bookstore with Catherine Lawrence and Eric Papenfuse.” YouTube, YouTube, 27 Apr. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpdFCTpNQj4. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023. 

“Midtown, Harrisburg.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 June 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midtown,_Harrisburg. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023.

“Eric Papenfuse.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Sept. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Papenfuse#Midtown_Scholar_Bookstore. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

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

Stabert, Lee. “Rebirth in Midtown Harrisburg.” Keystone Edge – What’s Next & Best in Pennsylvania – Growth, Innovation, and Community News, 17 May 2016, www.keystoneedge.com/2016/05/17/rebirth-in-midtown-harrisburg/.

“Midtown Harrisburg Historic District.” Visit Hershey & Harrisburg – Things To Do In Pennsylvania – Visit Pennsylvania, www.visithersheyharrisburg.org/listings/midtown-harrisburg-historic-district/2076/#:~:text=Originally%20comprised%20of%20farmland%20held,majority%20dating%20to%20around%201875. Accessed 9 Oct. 2023.

Midtown Scholar: A History of Community Engagement

Midtown Scholar: A History of Community Engagement

Midtown Scholar resides in the heart of Midtown Harrisburg, which is an area of rich history and diversity. 

The Story of Midtown

Midtown Scholar Bookstore is in the Midtown neighborhood of Harrisburg, which is nestled between Downtown and Uptown. The neighborhood’s southern border is Forster Street, with Maclay Street to the north, 7th Street to the east, and the Susquehanna River to the west (“Districts”). Prior to the 1970’s, the area was marked by economic struggle and building vacancies. However, in 1977, the Midtown Square Action Council was created to improve the community’s interests, and they began popularizing the name Midtown. Between 1980 and 2000, the neighborhood began to improve economically, with the median income increasing from today’s $30,000 to $40,000. Additionally, the age of the population fell to over half of the residents being below the age of 35. The population also became more racially and ethnically diverse, with the majority of residents being Black or African American (Stabert). 

The exterior of Midtown Scholar Bookstore
Image taken from Publishers Weekly

Due to its close proximity to the state capital, many young professionals were drawn to this neighborhood. Over the years, new businesses drew people to Midtown with unique forms of entertainment and satisfying restaurant options. Oddly enough, many of these fan favorites dawn the name ‘Midtown’ into their titles. Aside from Midtown Scholar, Midtown Cinema opened around the same time to provide locals with both mainstream movies and lesser-known foreign films. There are also places like Midtown Tavern that adopted the name following the neighborhood’s newfound popularity. 

Today, the demographics of this area have remained relatively stagnant with a primarily Black or African American population of young people around the age of 30. These residents have a median income of about $44,444, which is not far from the numbers during their growth period from 1980 to 2000. 

The Birth of an Online Business 

Our story starts with two young intellectuals named Eric Papenfuse and Catherine Lawrence who met while in graduate school at Yale University. Their love story was built on a love for books, and they spent most weekends scouring bookstores for their next favorite read. However, upon their graduation from Yale, the couple relocated to the Harrisburg area. The year was 1999 and both Papenfuse and Lawrence had secured teaching positions in the area, with her working at Messiah College and him teaching Latin temporarily at Central Dauphin High School (Bedell and Landesberg). 

Once they found a house, the couple quickly realized they did not have much use for their collection of 100 to 150 university textbooks; and they certainly did not have the storage space for them. To solve this debacle, Papenfuse began selling his used books online at Amazon.com. Many of his books sold quickly, which convinced him there may be a market online for used books, especially academic ones. By January 2001, Papenfuse was selling books online from the comfort of his home in the Shipoke neighborhood (Bedell and Landesberg).

In terms of book selling, academic texts are generally always in high demand. This is because students have no control over what books are required for a course, that is entirely up to the professor’s discretion. Therefore, the sellers of these texts can mark university textbooks at alarmingly high prices because students will always need to buy them. This is where used academic book selling comes in handy because they are usually discounted compared to brand new copies, thus appealing to lower income college students. Papenfuse was able to profit from this need by curating a stock of used books that him and Lawrence acquired from local bookstores, library sales, and university presses. University presses proved to be very useful for the creation of their business because these types of publishers tend to print fewer copies than larger publishing houses. Therefore, by building strong relationships with these presses Papenfuse and Lawrence were able to have a steady flow of material to offer their customers (Bedell and Landesberg).

Becoming a Physical Place

As time passed and their business grew, Papenfuse and Lawrence realized their house in Shipoke could no longer withstand the steady influx of inventory. So, in 2002 they bought and began renovating the old Midtown Post Office building at 1519 N. Third Street, which became the first physical address for Midtown Scholar. Once they centralized their business in Midtown, the couple made it a point to cater their inventory to the community they were serving. Since the area was booming with diverse, young professionals, they stocked books dedicated to arts, photography, urban affairs, and African American studies (Bedell and Landesberg). This is a policy that Midtown Scholar has held onto since its inception. According to the store’s mission statement, they have “worked to transform our community by providing a welcoming space for the discussion and exchange of ideas about books, politics, arts and culture, and history (“About Us”). 

Midtown Scholar found itself in a constant cycle of growth that was marked by the ever-present need to purchase new spaces. Over the years, Papenfuse and Lawrence have bought and rented several storage units and buildings to house their constantly growing collection of products. Eventually, they were forced to close their original 3,000-square-foot building to expand down the street to a 10,000-square-foot space. On September 13, 2009, they reopened at 1302 N. Third Street. This new space allowed them to carry around 100,000 volumes, a café, a stage for author events and musical performances, and an art gallery (Bedell and Landesberg). 

Poster for 2023 Harrisburg Book Festival
Taken from Midtown Scholar Bookstore

Engaging the Community 

These new additions to Midtown Scholar allowed them to better serve their community by bringing interesting events to their doorstep. The store has hosted a slew of famous authors, like Frederick Backman and Erik Larson. However, arguably the largest way Midtown Scholar has continued to uplift its area is through the creation of the Harrisburg Book Festival, which Papenfuse and Lawrence launched in 2009. Although the project started small, it has grown into a book-themed spectacle that celebrates all things literature with a weeklong schedule of panels, author events, book signings, and children’s programs (Beeck). 

The success of Midtown Scholar as a community cornerstone can be marked by Papenfuse’s political career. He served as the mayor of Harrisburg from 2014 to 2022 and calls his bookstore “a place for civic engagement and a catalyst for urban development” (Beeck). 

Preserving the History

The city of Harrisburg and the Midtown neighborhood are both packed with examples of 19th and 20th century architecture, and Midtown Scholar is no different. In the current store, Papenfuse and Lawrence have made it a point to keep much of the original architecture from the former theatre and department store to honor the community’s history. For example, a portion of the original 1897 department store’s decal, the Boston Store, can be seen inside Midtown Scholar (Bassert). 

Taken from The Constant Rambler

Another example of Midtown Scholar’s historical preservations is the ornate bell that hangs from its ceiling, which is sometimes rung for special occasions. When Papenfuse was first elected, the sound of the bell tolling could be heard throughout Midtown (Bassert). 

The Motives of Midtown Scholar

Midtown Scholar’s dedication to fostering civic engagement and promoting free thinking made me immediately think of Archibald MacLeish’s assertions about books in “A Free Man’s Books”, particularly his claim that books are weapons. He specifically described books as “weapons of such edge and weight and power that those who would destroy the world of freedom must first destroy the books that freedom fights with” (MacLeish 6). Midtown Scholar’s mission statement, mentioned above, inadvertently acknowledges the fact that books generally have agendas, and these agendas can impact how a person thinks or acts. This is done by focusing on ideas surrounding politics and culture and promoting these ideas within their inventory by shelving titles that feature African American studies and political engagement. 

Image taken from TripAdvisor

However, as I ponder the agenda of Midtown Scholar, I cannot help noticing that these are white booksellers serving a predominantly Black community. Papenfuse and Lawrence realize their store is in a diverse area because they make it a point to stock up on books that focus on diversity. This then led me to considering Joshua Clark Davis’ claims in “Liberation Through Literacy.” During this piece, Davis explains that once Black and African American literature gained popularity in America, chain stores and white booksellers began selling these titles for cheaper prices than Black booksellers to make an easy profit (Davis 67). This forced many Black bookstores out of business, which made me consider Midtown Scholar’s dedication to Black literature. Are they just trying to give their community the content that best reflects their identities? Or are they attempting to make a profit off their diverse community? There’s no way to know the answer to this, but it does make me wonder if a Black-owned bookstore opened in Midtown, would it give Midtown Scholar a run for their money? 

Works Cited

“About Us.” Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Cafe, 2023, www.midtownscholar.com/history-and-mission. 

Bassart, Lauren. “Why Everyone Should Visit Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg, PA.” The Constant Rambler., 30 July 2014, www.theconstantrambler.com/midtown-scholar-bookstore-harrisburg-pa/. 

Bedell, Doug, and Phil Landesberg. “Midtown Scholar Bookstore Owners Cover Business on Internet, in Shop.” ProQuest, Central Penn Business Journal, 6 Apr. 2007, libgateway.susqu.edu/login?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fmidtown-scholar-bookstore-owners-cover-business%2Fdocview%2F236300397%2Fse-2%3Faccountid. 

Beeck, Nathalie op de. “U.S. Book Show 2023: Midtown Scholar.” PublishersWeekly.Com, Publishers Weekly, 12 May 2023, www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/92294-u-s-book-show-2023-midtown-scholar.html#:~:text=They%20entered%20the%20bricks%2Dand,bookstores%20in%20Cambridge%20or%20Georgetown%2C. 

Davis, John Clark. “Liberation Through Literacy .” From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs , p. 67. 

“Districts.” Explore HBG, www.explorehbg.com/neighborhoods/#:~:text=Midtown%20Harrisburg%20is%20delineated%20by,Susquehanna%20River%20to%20the%20west. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023. 

MacLeish , Archibald. A Free Man’s Book

Stabert, Lee. “Rebirth in Midtown Harrisburg.” Keystone Edge – What’s Next & Best in Pennsylvania – Growth, Innovation, and Community News, 17 May 2016, www.keystoneedge.com/2016/05/17/rebirth-in-midtown-harrisburg/. 

Veronikis, Eric. “Midtown Scholar Set to Reopen in Bigger Space.” ProQuest, Central Penn Business Journal , 21 Aug. 2009, libgateway.susqu.edu/login?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fmidtown-scholar-set-reopen-bigger-space%2Fdocview%2F236378901%2Fse-2%3Faccountid. 

Midtown Scholar: Expanding Onward While Looking Back

Midtown Scholar: Expanding Onward While Looking Back

You wouldn’t expect a bookstore as established as Midtown Scholar to have only been around for two decades. However, the history of this building and the surrounding area is rich and established. Nestled in the midtown of Harrisburg, in a building that served first as a 1920s style theater and second as a 1950s Boston Department Store, Midtown Scholar melds the two looks of the building’s past into its own unique blend; from the art deco neon signage above the store to the “Boston” department store name preserved on their storefront walk-in (Association). It strives to preserve the history that came before it the same as it cements itself as a staple of Harrisburg’s modern history.

Midtown Scholar’s timeline begins back in the late 1920s when the building that would house the independent bookstore/cafe opened as Central PA’s first non-segregated movie theater (pawalkworks.com). In the present day, where Harrisburg has a rich and diverse population and much effort has been made to elevate the voices of those citizens, discovering that the roots of Midtown Scholar were ahead of their time and striving for equality seemed to be a fitting parallel. In fact, Catherine Lawrence, one of the two married owners of Midtown Scholar, discussed the intentionality of their store’s emphasis on diversity while they were a “Bookstore of the Year” finalist.

“We’ve been very intentional about having a diverse group of what we call ‘famous authors.’ We put new releases, classic works, and works of criticism there. We’re an urban-based store and a majority-minority city, and we have shelves upon shelves of Black history with great scholarly depth.”

-Catherine Lawrence (Publishers Weekly)

The concept of an academic bookstore with emphasis on elevating the diverse voices of the population that frequents it is not an uncommon one. As Davis quotes from Maulana Karenga in Liberation Through Literacy, “Nationalism demands study. Show me a true nationalist and I’ll show you someone who studies” (Davis, 37). The link between activism and academia is undeniable, and the history of Midtown Scholar in Harrisburg has always been a source of such activism, whether that be opening the first interracial movie theater in PA, or contributing to education and diversification past that of the mainstream white canon. 

The building’s past as Harrisburg’s first split-level department store in the 1950s can be found in the lighting fixtures and the architectural foundation of the building itself (Constant Rambler). The co-owners’ preservation of the building’s history is an admirable feat and one that becomes quite clear when walking around the inside of Midtown, now spanning six floors full of academic, historical, and additional genre books. Those genre books are a newer addition as Midtown grows and changes with the population around it. A cafe and a bakery now reside in the expanded building, without overtaking the architectural decisions made in the past. This focus on the historical preservation of the building and surrounding area cements the bookstore’s sense of place within the community and keeps bits of the past alive. 

A photo taken of the Boston Department Store in the 1950s. This was well before Midtown Scholar moved into the building and expanded to fill the building pictured to the left of Boston’s as well.

Midtown Scholar was established in 2001 after the Boston Department Store shut down and the building became available. Under the founding and co-ownership of married couple Catherine Lawrence and Eric Papenfuse, Midtown Scholar, a place for used and new books, came to life. Papenfuse was a local businessman and politician who was elected as the 38th mayor of Harrisburg from 2014 to 2022, well after the establishment of the bookstore. It must have been incredibly relieving to the community to understand so much about his morals and politics from the years they had seen him at Midtown Scholar already. What had started for him and his wife as a small walkup used bookstore and online e-commerce site turned into what we now see it as today, a massive bookstore with a deep care for the community’s history and a strong urge to bring people together (Publishers Weekly). In fact, Papenfuse stated that “It all began with a pile of books in our dining room,” and their business had grown from a used-book online portal to 15,000 square feet of retail space with a staff of fifty (Publishers Weekly). This revitalization of the neighborhood, including the renovation of a former post office next door, demonstrated their commitment to Harrisburg “as a destination for literary culture and political debate,” and encouraged the growth of an educated and activist population, much like that which came before it (Publishers Weekly).

A photo taken from the balcony outside of Midtown Scholar, where there is additional seating offered for those who have purchased items at the cafe or who simply wish to sit and talk.

One notable example of the community that Midtown Scholar curates in Harrisburg can be found no further than the Harrisburg Book Festival, an annual festival launched in 2009 by Midtown Scholar to celebrate the power of literature and its ability to unite, delight, and inspire (Midtown Scholar). Much like the popularity and influence of the store, this fest grew in size each year, and they eventually named Alex Brubaker as its director. This yearly attraction not only serves to energize the local community, but the influence and intrigue of the traveling authors speaking at the fest draw in a crowd to Harrisburg, who then are able to partake in the local cuisine, wander the streets, and interact with other parts of the town. The 2023 festival now includes featured authors, a full day of children’s programming, a used-book tent sale, and writing workshops, not only encouraging literary thinking, but thought of how the world around us interacts with itself and these concepts (Publishers Weekly). 

In fact, this expansion of the Harrisburg Book Festival, under the launch of Midtown Scholar, mimics the way in which the store has branched out to curate a larger community than just those who read. Midtown Scholar has engaged with the creative community at large in ways that mimic the surrounding area of Harrisburg, which is filled with muralistic work. The bookstore actually includes their own mural, depicting Sunset at Riverfront Park (Bassart). The preservation of this mural was held in high regard during their expansion, carefully moved to its current location. As Jenison says in Sunwise Turn, “As soon as you begin to think of books as life they connect up with art,” and Midtown Scholar exemplifies that at every turn, merging the worlds of art and literature, as well as the worlds of academia and advocacy (Jenison, 21). This bookstore serves within the community as a meeting space, a place to make ideas and to engage with other literary-minded individuals. Open cafe tables incite conversation, and events of all kinds are hosted within the store itself. The store treats books as life and lets their community find the art within. It strives to reach people of all ages and backgrounds, children and adults alike, and to engage with the creative side of their minds, much like the festival expanded to better encompass the diverse audience it served. 

Despite this long-running festival’s popularity and expansion, when COVID-19 hit, the festival was shifted to a virtual experience. This did little to dissuade the community of literary-minded individuals who were interested in it, however, and the festival had four years of virtual community-building before it became slated to take place in person again in October of 2023. This would not have been possible without the population’s commitment to keeping the literary side of Harrisburg alive, and the idea that books connect art and life, leading to a more enriching experience on all sides. 

A photo taken and used in promotion of the 11th annual Harrisburg Book Festival. One can note the expanded storefronts and see how this compares both to the photo illustrating the building’s past as the Boston Department Store, as well as the art deco signage reminiscent of the 1920’s movie theatre the building originally served as.

Past Midtown Scholar’s success with community building, they have also been nominated for multiple awards over the last two decades. Publishers Weekly crowned them its 31st annual Bookstore of the Year at the virtually produced U.S. Book Show on May 22 (Publishers Weekly). They have also been voted “Simply the Best” independent bookstore for the past 18 consecutive years. These accolades, while less personal than the impact that they have on the individual consumer who stops by to admire one chunk of Harrisburg’s rich history, still emphasize an agreement that Midtown Scholar has established itself as a prime resource, destination, and gathering place for the community around it. 

I admired the decision for Midtown Scholar to keep so much of the businesses and history that make up its roots on display, while still growing in the modern day with its consumers and community. I found myself particularly fond of the way they went about preserving the history of the building through signage and architecture without holding themselves back from expansion of genre, media forms, and community engagement. 

Sources Cited

Websites:

U.S. book show 2023: Midtown scholar, Emily Bates named PW Bookstore, rep of the year. PublishersWeekly.com. (2023, May 22). https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/awards-and-prizes/article/92371-u-s-book-show-2023-midtown-scholar-emily-bates-named-pw-bookstore-rep-of-the-year.html#:~:text=Publishers%20Weekly%20crowned%20its%2031st,PW’s%20Bookstore%20of%20the%20Year.

Midtown Scholar. (n.d.-b). Midtown scholar bookstore-cafe. Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Cafe. https://www.midtownscholar.com/

Bassart, L. (2014, July 30). Why everyone should visit midtown scholar bookstore in Harrisburg, PA. The Constant Rambler. https://www.theconstantrambler.com/midtown-scholar-bookstore-harrisburg-pa/

Association, H. H. (2021). 1302 N. 3rd street: Then & now. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/1302-n-3rd-street-now-historic-harrisburg-association?trk=organization-update-content_share-article

pawalkworks.com. (n.d.). Capitol Complex Route. Harrisburg; PA Walkworks.

Books:

Davis, Joshua Clark. From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs. New York City, Columbia University Press, n.d..

Jenison, M. (1993). Sunwise Turn: A human comedy of Bookselling. Booksellers House.

Images:

Historic Harrisburg Association. (n.d.). 1302 N. 3rd Street: Then and Now. photograph, Harrisburg.

Me. Photo of Midtown Scholar Hanging Sign. (2023). photograph, Harrisburg.

Midtown Scholar. (n.d.). Harrisburg Book Festival. photograph, Harrisburg.

Timeline:

Free Online Timeline Maker, time.graphics/. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.

Molly’s Books and Records: Knowing Where It Is Now by Where It Was Then

Molly’s Books and Records: Knowing Where It Is Now by Where It Was Then

Centuries before Molly’s Books and Records would reside in its little townhouse with white, vinyl siding, the neighborhood of South Philadelphia belonged to a much more nuanced past and group of people.

Historically, South Philadelphia has been a haven for Italian immigration since the late 18th century, according to Stefano Luconi in The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia’s article “Italians and Italy.” Though Italian immigrants initially sought to benefit from the major trading port that was Philadelphia in the 1700s, the city saw a major boom in Italians seeking refuge after the failures of the Italian Unification in the late 18th century. Many of these immigrants–though in the past they tended to be more artistically and intellectually inclined–became laborers in their settled areas of Philadelphia. Specifically, Italian immigrants settled in “a neighborhood bounded by Christain, Seventh, Carpenter, and Ninth Streets in a South Philadelphia district where the price of real estate was lower than in other areas” (Luconi). 

This neighborhood that Luconi describes constitutes a small–but certainly significant–portion of today’s Little Italy, Philadelphia. 

The influence of Italian immigration in this area of South Philadelphia is not lost today, even after centuries since the peak of immigration and as other ethnic groups settled in the neighborhood. According to Pamela Forsythe in the Broad Street Review’s “The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia: History, Culture, People, and Ideas” article, Little Italy was the core for Italian-immigrant life, and it was here that they attempted to preserve Italian identity in a Western culture. For example, when Italian immigrants settled in the neighborhood they were able to adapt their housing to supply Italian goods and services for Italian households; specifically, Forsythe explains “‘the first-floor front was easily adapted to commerce, with a second door and a shop window.’” Most notably, they sought to preserve the core of their culture–authentic Italian cuisine–by refusing to shop American fare and instead shop locally at Italian-owned food markets, now officially known as the Italian Market of Little Italy (Forsythe). These efforts to preserve the core of Italian culture are still evident today, as Italian-cuisine businesses stretch for about ten blocks down South 9th Street, selling everything from fresh produce, meats, gelato, and even kitchenware. So it is a curious wonder to see an indie bookstore–where cookbooks are sold alongside records and DVDs–living among this renowned myriad of Italian-cuisine businesses.

How did Molly Russakoff, owner of this books and records shop, manage to fit this seemingly outlier-of-a-business into this gastronomic environment? 

Well, Russakoff’s history with the community of Little Italy is almost as extensive and complex as the history of South Philadelphia. This history dates back to the 1980s, well over a decade before the opening of Molly’s Books and Records. Between 1982 and 1986, Russakoff’s father, Jerome Russakoff, opened his own indie bookstore–Russakoff’s Books and Records–on 259 South 10th Street. Similar to Molly’s Books and Records, Russakoff’s Books and Records sold a variety of products aside from used books. In fact, as the Buzzfile report states, the shop’s inventory included: used books, rare books, CDs, tapes, and records. Eventually, in 1997 Jerome handed down ownership of the shop to Molly Russakoff’s brother, Joe Russakoff. Since then, Russakoff’s Books and Records has officially been known as Mostly Books and has relocated to 529 Bainbridge Street in the early 2000s. Considering this familial history of bookselling, it should not have come to any surprise that Molly Russakoff would continue the tradition and open up her own bookshop.

Still, the journey to opening Molly’s Books and Records was anything but unidirectional. Although Russakoff grew up approximately thirty-minutes outside Little Italy in Elkins Park, she sought to create a connection with the community of Little Italy in a variety of ways. According to A.D. Amorosi in The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s “Reading and More at Molly’s Bookstore” article, one of Russakoff’s earliest ventures into the neighborhood was through 9th Street Books & Records, in which she owned and operated the shop for ten years after its opening in 1987. Nevertheless, three years after she closed the doors to 9th Street Books & Records, she opened Molly’s Café on 910-912 Christian Street, which is just about two blocks away from today’s Molly’s Books and Records. At Molly’s Café, Russakoff nurtured her passion for literature and cuisine, and sought to utilize these passions to connect with South Philadelphia’s literary and gastronomic community. When Molly’s Café closed down in the early 2000s, Russakoff was devastated and contemplated leaving South Philadelphia for good (Amorosi). Yet, “[Russakoff’s] connection to literature–writing, teaching, selling–runs as deep as her adoration of her neighborhood” (Amorosi), so she decided to give South Philadelphia another chance. Thus in 2002, not long after the closure of Molly’s Café, she purchased a little townhouse with white, vinyl siding, in the heart of Little Italy. Today, this townhouse is recognized as Molly’s Books and Records, but that was not always the case in the early 2000s.

Over twenty years ago, Russakoff sought to create a literary space in a community that prides itself for its historic Italian gastronomy. In 2002, this venture began in a little townhouse on 1010 South 9th Street, with the name Molly’s Bookstore. Unlike today’s Molly’s Books and Records, Molly’s Bookstore strictly sold used-books according to The Secondhand Beat’s “Molly’s Books & Records” article. For a while, Molly’s Bookstore thrived in Little Italy–in spite of its limited inventory and its unusual location among Italian-food markets. Nevertheless, this success eventually faded with the rise of digital bookselling. In 2006, indie booksellers were threatened by the growing presence of major online book-retailers, such as Amazon. This threat, as Russakoff explains, makes selling books more difficult, as online bookselling turned customers away from brick-and-mortar shops and altered their shopping behaviors (Amorosi). Nonetheless, Russakoff briefly turned towards digital bookselling on Amazon. This attempt to keep-up with the changing times proved ethically difficult, as Russakoff believed “selling books on the Internet felt like working for Wal-Mart. She felt lonely and dislocated from her community” (Amorosi). There was no easy solution that would have saved Molly’s Bookstore from Amazon and other rising book-retailers–not if Russakoff wanted to compromise her stance on the politics of digital bookselling. Consequently, Molly’s Bookstore closed down in 2007.

Still, Russakoff refused to be chased out of Little Italy. Therefore, in 2008 she opened a natural produce shop–Bella Vista Natural Foods–in the place where Molly’s Bookstore used to operate. According to Phila Place’s “Bella Vista Natural Foods: ‘It Becomes Where We Belong’” article, Bella Vista Natural Foods was received well by the community, since “an organic grocery seem[ed] to be the one genre of food that was missing on the market.” In the brief time Bella Vista Natural Foods operated, the shop had become a space for the community to gather. Yet, something was amiss and Russakoff wanted to return to bookselling, but she wasn’t sure how that was possible.

To reference W.G. Rogers in Wise Men Fish Here, a successful bookseller should only be “concerned with the kind of books that matter to the kind of people that matter” (77), and this was a lesson Russakoff had to embrace in order get back into the bookselling business. By the time she closed down Bella Vista Natural Foods sometime before 2010, Russakoff had already been growing her collection of cookbooks for the interested, culinary community of Little Italy. According to Archibald MacLeish in A Free Man’s Books, “true books are sold by the enthusiasm of those who know them and respect them” (13), and this is especially evident in Russakoff’s success with selling her collection of cookbooks. This cookbook collection has come to be an integral part of Molly’s Books and Records, and as Abigail Weils notes in “There’s No Place in Philly Quite Like Molly’s Books and Records,” Russakoff has taken great care into growing its numbers and variety to authentically represent the diversity of gastronomy and the culinary culture of Little Italy.

Even though there was a market for cookbooks in Little Italy–considering its gastronomic culture–Russakoff recognized she could not return to only selling books, not with the competition of Amazon. So when Russakoff partnered with her now-husband Joe Ankenbrand, they expanded their inventory to include: used books, records, DVDs, and most notably cookbooks (The Secondhand Beats). As a result, the little townhouse on 1010 South 9th Street reopened in 2010 under the new and settled name of Molly’s Books and Records.

Every business venture Molly Russakoff made in South Philadelphia was an attempt to create place, which according to Tim Cresswell is essentially defined as “a space invested with meaning” (12). Time and time again, Russakoff invested meaning into the building on 1010 South 9th Street. For as long as these businesses operated–if not only for a brief moment–they connected with the community and established relationships with the people of Little Italy. Still, overtime, the meaning of this place on 1010 South 9th Street has changed to the shape of the changing times and changing consumer-behavior. For example, expanding and diversifying the inventory of Molly’s Books and Records was a response to the difficulty of selling only books. Additionally, while Russakoff refuses to adapt her bookshop to the digital world of bookselling, she runs an Instagram account for Molly’s Books and Records to connect with a wider audience outside of Little Italy. Hence, the meaning of a place is not fixed in time.

A place like Molly’s Books and Records is continuously shaped and reshaped by the circumstances of its past and the changing times of the present.

Works Cited

Amorosi, A.D. “Reading and More at Molly’s Bookstore.” The Philadelphia Inquire, 14 Oct. 2007, www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20071014_Molly_Russakoffs_new_Italian_Market_shop_will_strive_to_be_a_center_for_homeschooling_.html. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

“Bella Vista Natural Foods: ‘It Becomes Where We Belong.'” Phila Place, m.philaplace.org/story/548/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Cresswell, Tim. “Defining Place.” Place, Blackwell Publishing.

Forsythe, Pamela J. “The Italian Legacy in Philadelphia: History, Culture, People, and Ideas.” Broad Street Review, 18 Jan. 2022, www.broadstreetreview.com/reviews/the-italian-legacy-in-philadelphia-history-culture-people-and-ideas-edited-by-andrea-canepari-and-judith-goode. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

“Jerome Russakoff: Russakoff’s Books & Records.” Buzzfile, www.buzzfile.com/business/Russakoff!s-Books.And.Records-215-592-8380. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Luconi, Stefano. “Italians and Italy.” The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2017, philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/italians-and-italy/#:~:text=It%20was%2C%20therefore%2C%20no%20surprise,and%20Leghorn%20in%20their%20homeland. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

MacLeish, Archibald. A Free Man’s Books. Peter Pauper Press.

“Molly’s Books & Records.” The Secondhand Beat, 12 Mar. 2011, thesecondhandbeat.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/mollys-books-records-part-ii/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

Rogers, W.G. Wise Men Fish Here. Harcourt, Brace & World.Weil, Abigail. “There’s No Place in Philly Quite Like Molly’s Books & Records.” Eater Philadelphia, 13 Dec. 2021, philly.eater.com/2021/12/13/22820597/mollys-books-records-italian-market-bookstore-cookbooks. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.

People & Place: Midtown Scholar’s Indelible Influence

People & Place: Midtown Scholar’s Indelible Influence

First opened in 2001 by married couple Catherine Lawrence and Eric Papenfuse, the Midtown Scholar Bookstore has grown from a humble book retailer to what can best be described as a trove of literature; with six floors in the present location carrying over 200,000 rare, used, and unique texts, any patron would be forgiven for losing track of time within its walls. Additionally, Midtown Scholar contains two cafes within its sprawling halls, providing visitors with ample refreshments and a foyer to enjoy them in. Outside of the collections it houses and shops within, Lawrence and Papenfuse also sought to change the community in which the bookstore resides for the better, spreading grassroots transformation through the medium of literature. The owners cite an interview they participated in on their website, saying that “Ideas change people’s minds and affect people’s directions and sensibilities – tie people together or fracture them apart – and so, books transform,” showing that they wish to foster a comfortable space where people can discover more than just their next favorite title (History and Mission).

Heavily contrasting the elitist concepts covered in Laura Miller’s Reluctant Capitalists, the owners have consistently sought to foster a sense of community in spite of organized booksellers and chains that continue to have a stranglehold on the field; rather than removing the human aspect like many chains have chosen to do, Lawrence and Papenfuse instead sought to characterize their storefront in the diverse image of Harrisburg, welcoming those from all walks of life. Even the layout of the store contrasts all standardized notions of what a bookstore “should” be, the sprawling shelves and spiraling levels don’t make it the easiest to locate a specific text, but may just lead you to finding something new altogether.

Looking at the demographics of Midtown, the neighborhood in Harrisburg this bookstore is located in, we quickly realize there’s a stark contrast in the people that live here– a sizable percent of individuals here make less than $15,000, with even more making between $35k and $75k; moreover, a majority of the population of Midtown is made up of people between the ages of 25 and 44, with a notable amount being those above 65 years of age. Generally speaking, this area is populated more with singles and married couples than families with children, though families make up a small percent– this lack of family has likely contributed to the abundance of humanities and social spots within walking distance of each other.

From a geographical point of view, Midtown Scholar is located directly in the middle of a diverse community of individuals from different backgrounds, incomes, and heritages. Immediately surrounding the storefront are multiple shops including grocery markets, cafes, and retail shopping centers, highlighting the frequent traffic this area gets. Moreover, a majority of the landmarks surrounding Midtown Scholar are social or interactive spaces; museums, art galleries, yoga, taverns, and more– the topography of this area heavily suggests that this is a flourishing community, deeply invested in the arts and humanities. For readers who prefer a crisp breeze over an armchair by the fireplace, there are three outdoor parks and gardens within walking distance of the bookstore, allowing one to read their titles wherever they’re most comfortable. Not as prominent as other features in this neighborhood, housing is largely centralized in townhouses, with larger living complexes like the Linden Terrace Apartments towards the Susquehanna River also taking up a good chunk of the population. As mentioned above, worship centers in this area are largely Christian, with an international, non-denominational house of worship not far from Midtown Scholar. Community highlights of the arts and humanities include galleries such as Vivi on Verbeke, a painting gallery with assorted sculptures of what can best be described as a clash of nature and americana, or Pocket Park, an interactive studio geared towards families with children that allows them to express their creativity. Harkening back to Tim Cresswell’s essay Place, Midtown Scholar has forged something more than a location within their walls– existing outside of a brick and mortar location, this bookstore has helped redefine the very place it exists within, Papenfuse even serving as the 38th mayor of Harrisburg to further affects his constituents’ quality of life, focusing many of his efforts on the neighborhood of Midtown.

All in all, Midtown Scholar exists in the populated center of a thriving neighborhood of many different lifestyles, and has ample options for food, shopping, worship, entertainment, and more, giving any visitor a wide range of options to choose from on their trip. If any location’s attempt to redefine the notion of bookstore has succeeded, it would without a doubt be Midtown Scholar, having helped shape its community for over two decades.

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Sources

Images:

https://uncoveringpa.com/midtown-scholar-bookstore

https://www.visithersheyharrisburg.org/listings/midtown-scholar-bookstore-caf%C3%A9/707/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mhoffman1/9060576278

https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/dauphin-county/midtown-scholar-harrisburg-publishers-weekly-bookstore-of-the-year/521-d50a4ae9-b492-4523-9d70-2148bea5429d

Articles:

https://uncoveringpa.com/midtown-scholar-bookstore. Accessed 18 September 2023.

https://www.midtownscholar.com/history-and-mission. Accessed 18 September 2023.

Maps & Misc:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1i9TqQIov8VQh8b1_Cqw_ybgezV4iKTg&ll=40.26961690000003%2C-76.8911064&z=17. Accessed and created 18 September 2023.

https://vivionverbeke.com/. Accessed 19 September 2023.

Midtown Scholar: A Sense of Place in Harrisburg

Midtown Scholar: A Sense of Place in Harrisburg

Since it was named the state capital of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg has had a rich history. From being a stop on the Underground Railroad to the yearly Great American Outdoor Show to the accident on Three Mile Island, the state capital has a lot of stories to tell. This is highlighted through all of the museums, theaters, and bookstores there are within twelve miles of the city. An example of this is an independently owned small bookshop called Midtown Scholar Bookstore. Midtown Scholar sells new, rare, and used books, and has a café. They have tables and seats throughout the store for people to sip their coffee while they browse books and meet their friends.

Image courtesy of Shelf Awareness.

Within the neighborhood, there are several other options specifically for entertainment that make Harrisburg the community it is. Four blocks away from Midtown Scholar is the Midtown Cinema, and three blocks the other way is the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center. Down the road and across the bridge from Midtown Scholar is FNB Stadium, where the double-a affiliate of the Washington Nationals, an MLB team, plays. Harrisburg being an entertainment-based neighborhood is interesting when you consider the demographics. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the American median household income was $76,330 while the Harrisburg median income was $44,444. Bills, food, and just the general cost of living are a lot of money these days. This means that the average Harrisburger doesn’t have much money after expenses or the time to enjoy all of the entertainment options that the city has to offer. This leads me to believe that Harrisburg relies on tourists and their dollars to keep its economy going. This is when places like Midtown Scholar Bookstore help boost the economy. They have events, most notably author readings and signings frequently. One of the big events that is happening soon is the 2023 Harrisburg Book Fair. It is an event where all book lovers come together at Midtown Scholar for tent sales, author signings, workshops, and children’s programs. While this event brings in a lot of people from all over Pennsylvania, it also gives an opportunity for people who usually don’t have the extra money for a book to still enjoy reading, literature, and being surrounded by likeminded people.

While looking around the neighborhood, I also noticed that other places have festivals and activities for not only tourists but also locals of Harrisburg. The Midtown Cinema features “Music on the Patio” which is free for all to enjoy. The Harrisburg Senators, the double-a affiliate of the Washington Nationals does a lot of community outreach specifically with youths in the area. The team puts on free baseball clinics so that kids can get some exercise and socialize with the players. At the end of the clinic, the team gives every child a wiffleball, a bat, and a free ticket to a Senators game. This gives the opportunity to go to a game where some kids would never even think about going out to the ballpark with their friends or family and having fun with other kids from the community. The players visit hospitals to deliver customized hospital gowns to sick children. Miller explains, “Stone was interested in the ways in which urbanites could be more tightly bound to their communities through the relationships they established with the personnel of retail stores.” Harrisburg exemplifies this quote, and it doesn’t stop just at retail stores.

Image courtesy of Visit Hershey and Harrisburg.

Furthermore, Cresswell describes what the feeling of “place” is. He mentions the feeling of moving into college for the first time and decorating your dorm how you like it. He says, “Thus the space is turned into your space. Your place.” While Harrisburg’s economy is set up and depends on tourism, that is not how the city survives. It survives because of Harrisburgers sense of community. It survives because locals can go down to Midtown Scholar on a Saturday morning, buy a cup of coffee from the café, sit at one of the beautiful wooden tables, and read the week’s newspaper. It survives because they can tell their stories in books and museums, both consumed because tourists want to know more about the city. It survives because the people of Harrisburg have made it their place.  

Sources

Cresswell, Tim. Place: a short introduction. Blackwell Publishing, n.d..Harrisburg Book Festival, www.hbgbookfest.com/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

“Harrisburg Senators Visit Kids at UPMC Children’s Harrisburg.” UPMC, www.upmc.com/media/news/central-pa/2023-news-releases/040523-harrisburg-senators-visit-kids-at-upmc-childrens-harrisburg. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

“Harrisburg.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 17 Sept. 2023, www.britannica.com/place/Harrisburg-Pennsylvania.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Cafe, www.midtownscholar.com/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption. University of Chicago Press, 2007.

Person, Elise. “Harrisburg Senators and Central Penn College Baseball Team up in a Free Clinic for Kids.” WHP, WHP, 11 June 2023, local21news.com/news/local/harrisburg-senators-and-central-penn-college-baseball-team-up-in-a-free-clinic-for-kids.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Harrisburg City, Pennsylvania, www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/harrisburgcitypennsylvania/PST045222. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

Map courtesy of Jessica Branche

Pictures

Gornall, Jonathan. “Shelf Awareness for Tuesday, April 9, 2019.” Shelf Awareness, www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=3469#m44012. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

“Midtown Scholar Bookstore Café.” Visit Hershey & Harrisburg – Things To Do In Pennsylvania – Visit Pennsylvania, www.visithersheyharrisburg.org/listings/midtown-scholar-bookstore-caf%C3%A9/707/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

The Capital’s Culture: Midtown Scholar Bookstore Brings Life Into Harrisburg

The Capital’s Culture: Midtown Scholar Bookstore Brings Life Into Harrisburg

Midtown Scholar Bookstore, located in the bustling city center of Pennsylvania’s capital, has become a staple in the Harrisburg area since its doors opened in 2001.

Tim Cresswell talks about political geographer, John Agnew’s, “three fundamental aspects of place as a ‘meaningful location.’” These aspects are location, locale, and sense of place. It’s already been said that Midtown Scholar is located in Harrisburg, PA, but what does that mean for its locale? What is “the actual shape of place within which people conduct their lives as individuals,” (Cresswell p. 7)?

Midtown Scholar is within the 17102 zip code, which houses roughly a sixth of the overall population of Harrisburg, PA (Data USA and Claritas). This segment of the population is made up of mostly people 25-years-old and up, with the majority unmarried and living alone (Claritas). It is also a diversified area regarding race and ethnicity, as shown in the graphic on the left.

Keep in mind that this is only a small segment of the population which can find enjoyment in Midtown Scholar and all it has to offer. However, these are the people that make up the immediate surroundings, and therefore have a level of influence on how people from beyond that area feel about entering it. Laura J. Miller states, “Suburban women would take periodic shopping trips to the city, and commuting men would pick up items on their way home from work. Some suburbanites minded the inconvenience, especially those who saw the city as a place of iniquity and danger,” when discussing the post-World War II era, within which shopping in the city became less necessary for the suburban areas surrounding them (Reluctant Capitalists, p. 89-90). Despite being many decades since this change began, there is still quite the stigma around city areas, and Harrisburg is no exception. Although some may harbor this tainted idea of cities, the neighborhood Midtown Scholar is housed in has been referred to as “an up-and-coming neighborhood” by Jim Cheney in his September 2023 review for Uncovering PA.

Looking at the map of midtown and downtown Harrisburg, one will find several locations (marked in purple) that were built, like Midtown Scholar (marked in red), for the artistic, cultural, and historical betterment of the community. Midtown Scholar sits in the same strip as the famed Broad Street Market, known for its numerous vendors and fresh foods, and the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center, known for its live music performances. Also not far are the Susquehanna Art Museum and Midtown Cinema. Just on the other side of Forster Street, a main road running through Center City, anyone interested can visit the State Museum of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, Capitol Park, or The Forum Auditorium, all beautiful representations of the art, architecture, and history of the Harrisburg area. And if that all is not enough to fill the day, taking a quick trip through the Strawberry Square shopping center could kill some time as well.

The bookstore also makes a point of being involved with the community surrounding them. Jim Cheney’s review also states, “The local arts scene is quite prevalent in the store, with local artists, authors, and speakers frequenting the Scholar’s stage and the work of local artists hanging on the walls.” Anyone who visits the About Us: Community page on the Midtown Scholar website can see their preference for local representation in their featured events and works.

To have such a hand in the community, the store must understand who this community is and why their influence on the store and its influence on them is culturally significant to the Harrisburg area. In this way, the community and the store formulate their sense of place. The community and the locale and how it all interacts shows how, “places must have some relationship to humans and the human capacity to produce and consume meaning,” (Cresswell p. 7). Featured on the Midtown Scholar website, along with their mission statement, is part of a review left by Carson Vaughan in his article “The Independent Bookstores Every Booklover Should Visit in the U.S.” (Vaughan, 2017) for Travel + Leisure back in 2017 (the original article is no longer on the Travel + Leisure site). In it, Vaughan remarks, “Today, The Midtown Scholar has become a veritable marketplace of ideas… Come for the literature, stay for the conversation.” This is the sense of place Midtown Scholar has built for itself over the course of its (so far) 22 years.

Citations
Texts

Cheney, Jim. “Visiting Midtown Scholar Bookstore: Harrisburg’s Best Destination for Literary Lovers.” Uncovering PA, 6 Sept. 2023, uncoveringpa.com/midtown-scholar-bookstore.

“Community.” Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Cafe, www.midtownscholar.com/community. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

Cresswell, Tim. “Defining Place.” Place: A Short Introduction, Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, 2004, p. 7.

“History and Mission.” Midtown Scholar Bookstore-Cafe, https://www.midtownscholar.com/history-and-mission. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

Miller, Laura J. “Designing the Bookstore for the Standard Consumer.” Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2007, p. 89-90.

Vaughan, Carson. “The Independent Bookstores Every Booklover Should Visit in the U.S.” Local Color XC, Local Color XC, 30 Jan. 2017, www.localcolorxc.com/travel-blog/2017/1/27/local-color-xc-in-travel-leisure.

Images

H, David. Inside Midtown Scholar Bookstore. 13 Feb. 2022. Yelp, https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/midtown-scholar-bookstore-harrisburg?select=6VTVMd9GRzFXoRWIjrXsDA. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

Schindlerdigital. State Capitol building in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. 15 Sept. 2018. Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:State_Capitol_building_in_Harrisburg_Pennsylvania.jpg. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

Stats

Harrisburg, PA. Data USA. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/harrisburg-pa. Accessed 19 September 2023.

Population by Race & Ethnicity. Claritas, https://claritas360.claritas.com/mybestsegments/#zipLookup. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

Maps

“Midtown Scholar Bookstore.” Google Maps, Google, www.google.com/maps/@40.2698301,-76.8890499,3a,75y,231.75h,98.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1srbbfijdcvJQOKjpdNqUABA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu. Accessed 19 Sept. 2023.

Neumyer, Olivia. (2023) Midtown Harrisburg Art/Culture Scene, Google My Maps. https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1i6ufKyiP25OTPeo8WR6njjFNgehCwG4&ll=40.264298356631905%2C-76.88645563397043&z=16. Accessed 19 September 2023.

Cafe con Libros Brews Change for Crown Heights

Cafe con Libros Brews Change for Crown Heights

Hundreds of protesters, escorted by police, march towards Lubovitcher Synagogue in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York, Aug. 24, 1991. Photo courtesy of Joe Major.

On August 19th, 1991, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson is being escorted by a motorcade from visiting his wife’s grave back to his home in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, when the final car falls behind the others. The driver, in an attempt to catch up, runs a red light, loses control of the vehicle, and pins two seven-year-old Black children against the side of a building, killing one and seriously injuring the other. After the dust had settled from the initial chaos, the Black community rallied around the death of the child and the perceived inequality between the medical attention given to the driver compared to him. By the time night had fallen, an angry crowd had gathered, and at 11:25 p.m., police found the body of a Hasidic Jew stabbed on Kingston Avenue by two Black youths who had left the angry crowd looking for revenge (Chang et al.). Over the next few days, Black and Jewish protestors alike gathered to hurl insults, as well as rocks and bottles, at each other. Accusing one of racism, the other of anti-Semitism in what would be known to history as the Crown Heights riots. It would be several years before the area known as Crown Heights returned to a quiet peace between the two communities.  

Crown Heights has historically been a place for Black culture, particularly Afro-Caribbean culture, to thrive in Brooklyn alongside the small, but significant Hasidic Jewish population (Schaefer 350). The 2021 census estimates the population of Crown Heights to be 138,614, and of that 43.4% identify as Black (“Crown Heights…”). The settlement of the region began in the 1830s with two small villages founded by African Americans, called Weeksville and Carrville, where a large free Black population grew (Schaefer 350). When the villages were destroyed during the urbanization of the area in the later 1910s, Crown Heights became home to “an upwardly mobile, rapidly assimilating elite of Eastern European Jews and other White European immigrants” (Schaefer 350). A boom in population came in the 1940s and 1950s, when “these established residents were joined by the communities that have come to make up today’s Crown Heights: Hasidic Jews, arriving in New York as Holocaust refugees, and Black migrants, both African American and Afro-Caribbean, drawn in part by the city’s booming wartime economy” (Schaefer 350).

Within this small portion of Brooklyn known as Crown Heights, one can find not only large swaths of Caribbean restaurants and a thriving Afro-Caribbean community, but also over ten separate churches of all faiths.

The exterior of Cafe con Libros from the sidewalk. Photo courtesy of Poets & Writers.

At the junction of Prospect Place and Rogers Avenue (just four blocks removed from Kingston Avenue, where Yankel Rosenbaum was found dead), lies a small bookshop and café called Café con Libros, with the words “BLACK, FEMINIST, & BOOKISH” scrawled in big white letters across the black awning. The shop interior is almost entirely empty, except for the shelves lining the two side walls from floor to ceiling, with a clear path to the tiny front counter which is littered with coffee cups, pastries on display, and a sign saying, “no cash please.” It is clear that this place is not meant for more than five or six people to be in here at a time, browsing books or drinking coffee, or sometimes both.

The interior of Cafe con Libros from the front door. Image courtesy of Chris Setter.

This small piece of the giant that is New York City is not somewhere that blends into the background, but instead a place, just as Tim Cresswell defines it in Place: A Short Introduction. Firstly, the location of the bookstore: it is tucked away between a restaurant and a block of Victorian style townhouses, far away from most other businesses in Crown Heights (Cresswell 7). Secondly, the locale, or “the material setting for social relations,” which can be seen in Café con Libros’ events page on their website (Cresswell 7). They host author events, book clubs, and other such gatherings to bring the community together and engage with one another. Laura Miller touches on this idea of community engagement as well in Reluctant Capitalists, saying how the independent bookstores began to advertise themselves as a place to “build community solidarity” (118). By depicting their bookstore as not only a shop, but as a community center and place to build connections, Café con Libros is catering to the modern consumer, who wants entertainment with their daily shopping. Finally, Cresswell emphasizes the “sense of place” in his work, which is clear in Crown Heights’ history (7). This location has meaning not only to the owners of the store, but also to the community. The riots of Crown Heights were a mere 30 years ago, and many residents will remember them clearly. A bookstore that broadcasts its stock being from Black authors represents a strong community that has gone through hardship and violence together. When I look at the images of this unassuming little bookstore and café, I don’t just see books and coffee, but decades of tension, riots, and hard work towards getting and maintaining peace.

Sources:

Information/History

Chang, Dean, et al. “Fatal Crash Sparks Crown Heights Riots in 1991.” New York Daily News, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 1991, www.nydailynews.com/2016/08/18/fatal-crash-sparks-crown-heights-riots-in-1991/.

Cresswell, Tim. Place: A Short Introduction. Blackwell Publishing, 2004.

“Crown Heights/Prospect Heights Neighborhood Profile.” NYU Furman Center, furmancenter.org/neighborhoods/view/crown-heights-prospect-heights. Accessed 18 Sept. 2023.

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

Miller, Laura J. Reluctant Capitalists. The University of Chicago Press, 2006.

Schaefer, Richard T. Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society. SAGE, 2008.

Images

Exterior of Café con Libros. “Café con Libros” 23 Jun. 2023. Poets & Writers, https://www.pw.org/literary_places/cafe_con_libros.

Major, Joe. Protestors marching to Lubovitcher Synagogue. “PHOTOS: 1991 Crown Heights riots in pictures” 19 Aug. 2016. ABC7NY, https://abc7ny.com/crown-heights-riots-1991-tension-archive/1476212/.

Setter, Chris. Interior of Café con Libros. “Badass Women: Kalima DeSuze, founder of feminist bookstore, Cafe con Libros” by Rebecca Kobert, 28 Jun. 2018. Medium, https://medium.com/coconuts/badass-women-kalima-desuze-founder-of-feminist-bookstore-cafe-con-libros-c64e0f8ed358.

Map

Map created by Megan DeAngelo using mymaps.google.com