The Magnificent Mondragon

A doctors office turned center for the County Democratic Committee turned a hub for Lewisburg, the building which is now home to Mondragon Books has seen many businesses come and go and has had to undergo various interior changes over the years. Although Mondragon is quite small due to its structure, owner Sarajean utilizes the space by making sure books are stacked so high, barely any wall space can be seen. The makeup of the hidden bookstore is surely anything but that of an ordinary corporate bookstore with its maze-like pathways and hidden rooms.

Mondragon has two entrances, one leading in from the outside and one leading to the actual bookstore. Entering into the second door, I was greeted by the “Front Room.” This room highlighted the owner, Sarajean’s personality the most as many books about cooking, health, nature, and overall self-sufficiency are standing on their shelves.

As I wandered through the tiny, yet filled bookstore I noticed that there is a room for everyone. With the wide variety of books all carefully placed in their own rooms, I had seen that me, as well as my partners, had been drawn to and developed a meaning toward a specific room.

In order to gain that attachment, it is required that a visitor browses around and focuses on the books within each room as there is no specific label to any room which means one would not know what types of books are in a room until they walk into it. Being adventurous, I found myself enjoying that aspect for I could create my own themes as I closely observed each book carefully and drew my own conclusions. With this feature, I had become aware of my immediate fondness for not only the bookstore but to one specific room because I was able to create my own unique meaning, ultimately generating a bond.

My first instance with realizing this was when I entered the “Side Room”, the first room I was drawn to. I named this room the Geography Room. Consisting of secondary sources about different countries as well as the history of those countries and foreign affairs with a window front table to relax, read, and enjoy a cup of coffee from the Front Room’s coffee closet. While being the most aesthetically pleasing, I found myself rushing out due to my great disliking for anything about history. That room was surely not for me. However, individuals who enjoy politics as well as expanding their knowledge of the world will find pleasure in exploring this part of Mondragon.

The layout of the Side Room consisting of books relating to the history of countries as well as a coffee table aligned with the window.

The layout of the Middle Room.
Black History Flashcards placed eye level to customers.

Opposite of the Side Room I headed to the Middle Room, the second biggest room next to the Front Room. I found myself amazed by the selection of books and items placed upon the shelves, books relating to topics regarding race, philosophy, and religion, surrounding the walls and in the middle of the room, two sofa chairs on either side of a small bookshelf containing Shakespeare.  This room also held many small items like one dollar postcards, pins, and buttons. My favorite object of all? The Black History flashcards laying on the second highest level of a bookshelf, just about eye level to me. Being as I am African American and understanding that Lewisburg is not the most diverse town, I appreciated that those cards were not only made a part of Mondragon but placed in an area where any customer can see them. The Middle Room had made a strong impression on me and proved to be my favorite room out of the whole store as it symbolized diversity and inclusion through the art of literature.

Hallway Leading to the Back Room.

To the right of the entrance of the Middle Room is the hallway leading to the Back Room. At first sight, I thought the hallway was off limits to customers and was hesitant to peek as I believed it lead to a break room or the owner’s room. However, it was soon discovered that the hallway leads to the Back Room above all, the hallway even held books!

Back Room holding fantasy, fiction, sci-fi, and more!

The Back Room hold fiction, poetry, Sci-fi, fantasy, and children’s fiction, vinyls, handmade coasters which resembles mini vinyls from classic albums, and many signs labeling the discounts of certain books. Individuals with strong imaginations who consider themselves free spirited and enjoy opening their minds while reading a wide variety of fiction and sci-fy novels will not be let down when entering this room.

Aside from the attachment different customers develop to each room or their own specific room in the store, the owners love and commitment for their bookstore is also taken into mind as their layout speaks for each owners personality. Seeing Sarajean put pieces of herself into this store makes it easier for customers who know her to also form a close relationship with Mondragon. Is it just Sarajean reflecting her personality into her bookstore that draws all of these individuals in or is there more to that? Could it also be that that Sarajean is well respected throughout the community so her store is able to thrive based on that? Or is her book selection just magnificent?

Visiting Mondragon Books and hearing what Sarajean had to say about her collection of books and also detecting how much “literary education” (Miller, 201) she has acquired throughout her years of running this store is certainly beyond impressive. Definitely not something one would hear from an employee working at a corporate bookstore. Laura J Miller highlights in her book, Reluctant Capitalist Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption, that “independents see themselves, in contrast to chains, as devoted to books for their own sake rather than as a means to acquire monetary reward” (Miller, 165) which is something I noticed about Mondragon.

Sarajean’s knowledge of these books and of her customers allows her to select literature that she knows shoppers will appreciate and want to buy because they would be interested. With the layout of her store, customers know exactly where to visit whereas in a corporate bookstore, not only is the space so big that it is harder to develop an attachment due to being overwhelmed by what feels like an abundance of books. But these books are also continuously moved around so that a shopper will hopefully become distracted while in the process of searching for what they want. The purpose of Mondragon’s layout is to provide a relaxing environment that allows customers to gain an attachment so that they are able to feel comfortable while wandering through the maze-like rooms and also draw them into coming back because they want to, not because they have to.

Sources

Map created by Thinglink

Text

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

Images
Courtesy of Desiree Bratton

A Million Books for Millions of Readers: Books-A-Million and their Collection of Literature

According to Peter N. Miller, historian and Dean Professor at Bard College, collection is more than just an ordinary past-time or desire of the materialistic consumer; collection represents more than just owning every version of an object, even the rare ones, and displaying them for all to see. Collection, and the act of collecting, is a behavior that brings a sense of purpose and identity to an object and its owner, (How Objects). How this could possibly relate to a Books-A-Million; specifically one that sits in a dying shopping mall in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania; is even more complicated than the idea of collection itself. Books-A-Million, although it looks like every other chain from the outside, provides a collection of literature inside meant to open doors to any reader in the Susquehanna Valley. From children’s books, to classic literature, to bestsellers, Books-A-Million hopes to find a happy medium between the aesthetic bookstore and the department store through its collection.

In order to understand Books-A-Million’s collection, we must first dive into the store itself. Below is an interactive floor-plan that displays all of the available genres of literature in this BAM! and how they are placed throughout the store. Take some time to hover over each of the icons, which provide a virtual walk-through of the store.

 

After taking some time to venture through the aisles of diverse literature this Books-A-Million has to offer, it may appear overwhelming to the average book-buying consumer. Books stretch across every square-inch of the store, some even spilling out into the hallway of the mall during certain times of the year. Considering the way that these book genres are arranged; for example, cookbooks finding a place right by children’s storybooks and across the way from fantasy novels; it may even seem impossible to find that one book desired among thousands. Perhaps there is a method behind this madness?

Try to view this store through the lens of the consumer. Books-A-Million may appear to have too large of a collection, but this could be beneficial depending on what one is looking for. For the Standard Consumer, which Laura J. Miller in her book describes as the consumer seeking convenience and comfort in their shopping experience, this bookstore is a great place to find the kind of books the general population may be looking for, (Reluctant Capitalists). Selling literature that may be found useful in day-to-day life; such as cookbooks, study guides, self-help books, and more; the consumer looking for efficiency and ease in their experience can come to Books-A-Million and get exactly what they’re looking for. Not only that, but any books unattainable in store can be easily found online through their website. 

For one that wants that aesthetic bookstore experience, the Entertained Consumer, Books-A-Million strives to improve the way it presents their store so one may feel welcome to come and stay a while, (Reluctant Capitalists). Although this particular Books-A-Million doesn’t have the room to provide a sitting area or a café like other chains, they make sure to lure in the book adventurer through their assortment of genres. Books-A-Million’s variety of literature gives readers that fall into a niche a chance to find something new, and vice versa: for within these broad genres lies a sort of specificity. 

Unlike the independent bookstore, which may be more limited in what it stocks due to the personal preference of its owner or limited resources, Books-A-Million and the power of the corporate chain allow for, truly, a million books for millions of readers. The convenient system of the store caters to those that aren’t into spending hours in a bookstore, while the collection of diverse literature caters to those who want an immersive experience. Books-A-Million, like many other retail chains of its kind, wants to be the home for any and all readers. Its collection ranges from beginner novels to prestigious classic works, presenting itself to a huge market. Although Books-A-Million isn’t the end-all-be-all of bookstores, it is a starting point and valuable resource for anyone hoping to get their hands on the novel they’ve been looking for.  

 

Sources

Nonperiodicals

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

Audiovisual

The Absolute. Woman shopping in a bookstore. Digital file. http://theabsolutemag.com/6461/books/indiebound-uniting-local-independent-bookstores-with-loyal-customers-one-shopper-at-a-time/

Fluke, Sarah. Aisles of books in Books-A-Million, Selinsgrove, PA. Digital file, 2019.

Web sites, e-sources

Miller, Peter N. “How Objects Speak.” The Chronicle Review, 11 Aug. 2014. Accessed 27 Mar. 2019.

Interactive Image courtesy of ThingLink. All photos tagged within the Interactive Image were also taken by Sarah Fluke. 

BAM! – Books a la Mall

As a book-lover and strong supporter of retail therapy, I have to say that I was a little excited to leave campus on a typically busy Wednesday afternoon to find myself in a Books A Million: cozily situated between a pizza shop and a Joanne’s Fabrics in a local shopping mall. However, it was with a bit of skepticism that my friends and I entered the supposedly run-down mall to go to a bookstore all of us had apparently seen before in our own hometowns. Books A Million, the second largest bookstore franchise in the United States, was a place that all of us had seen before in other locations across Pennsylvania… so what was going to make this one unique?

The locale of this particular Books A Million is within the Susquehanna Valley Mall, which sits along a strip of retail and food franchises connected to Selinsgrove’s main road, Market St. Just shortly after entering the strip, one can turn left into this large, yet slowly running mall which resides a variety of shops including department stores, health and beauty suppliers, knick-knack shops, and American food restaurants. Books A Million sits in one of the far corners of the mall near a rather large AMC movie theatre.

{ABOVE: a map of Selinsgrove’s main area of commerce. Because this area of Selinsgrove has so many restaurants, department stores, and retail chains, tagged in this map are some of the main staples. The mall itself is surrounded by several restaurants and other small shops, while North of it lies superstores such as Target, Walmart, and the shops of Monroe Marketplace. Susquehanna University and the heart of Selinsgrove lie South of this area.}

When first entering the Susquehanna Valley Mall, this is the map customers will see in order to direct them to all that the mall has to offer.

Despite the vast amount of things to do in this standard shopping mall, it was very much so empty (although it was the middle of a rainy afternoon on a weekday when I had the opportunity to visit). Those that were browsing the mall, and even the Books A Million itself, seemed to be retired men and women that wanted a casual way to spend their afternoon, a few college students that may have had some free time in their day, and mall security guards that found themselves with little to do on duty. Considering the majority of people that reside in Selinsgrove, however, this isn’t much of a surprise. With 35% percent of the population being college age (18-24) and a whopping 40% of the population being 50 years or older, the lack of bustling customers in this mall makes sense, (Selinsgrove, PA).

Even the mall itself was emptying, from the looks of it. Wandering through the mall, I saw that there were about 3 or 4 stores that were going out of business in the upcoming months, and even more vacant spaces for new stores to fill. Tons of stores had big red signs indicating 80 and 90% off “going out of business” sales, and those that were already closed had big metal bars blocking their entrances. Overall, despite the little clusters of life in those stores that managed to keep themselves a float, the Susquehanna Valley Mall was the opposite of what you would expect from a large shopping mall: quiet and empty.

 As we made our way to the Books A Million, my friends and I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the endless displays of romantic novels for Valentine’s Day, fan merchandise for fantasy series, and stuffed animals big enough to take up most of our dorm room beds. I, of course, bee-lined directly to the Harry Potter displays and had to talk myself out of buying a Hedwig stuffed animal for my dorm, which I’m sure proves the purpose of BAM! positioning its merchandise the way it did. Those that were in the bookstore were browsing the large, flashy displays of popular novels and the accompanying merch that went with it… not so much the long, winding line of bookshelves organized by genre. As a bookstore that seemed to be so full of life in such a quaint shopping mall, its place, or as Tim Cresswell describes it as “a space in which one defines as meaningful” or “sense of place”, was quite intriguing, (Place: A Short). Those that go into this Books A Million go for that book that they heard about from a friend or on social media, or so that they can get a new t-shirt to represent their beloved series. Books A Million is not just a house for books in the Selinsgrove area, but a place for entertainment and fan culture. Not only did Books A Million have those classic novels for the older generation of Selinsgrove’s population, but it also had the books of popular culture Susquehanna University and Selinsgrove School District students are desperate to get their hands on.

Books A Million is not the only bookstore available for the local reader and writer, and in my opinion certainly not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it certainly does show itself as an opportunity for books in the bustle of everyday life. When there isn’t a chance to get cozy in a café or library with a book, Books A Million is the place to go for the books everyone seems to be talking about.

 

Sources:

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

Fluke, Sarah. Books A Million Storefront. 6 Feb. 2019.

—. Susquehanna Valley Mall Map. 6 Feb. 2019.

“Selinsgrove, PA.” Data USA, datausa.io/profile/geo/selinsgrove-pa/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2019.