Malaprop's Bookstore & Cafe, Asheville

Malaprop's Bookstore & Cafe in downtown Asheville, North Carolina is the region's largest locally-owned independent bookstore.  In 2000 it won the Publisher's Weekly Bookseller of the Year Award, the first southern bookstore to win that award.  Put this bookstore on your "Must Visit" list now. 

Owner Emoke B'Racz tells us on the bookstore's website:  "My love of books came naturally; it is an inheritance from my grandmother, who always told us that 'our only wealth was what we had in our heads, what we learned, because all else can be taken away."   B'Racz's grandmother was a Hungarian who lived through two World wars, a revolution, and communist rule. 

When B'Racz bought the space for her bookstore in 1982, downtown Asheville was largely abandoned.  B'Racz's dream was to make her bookstore

a place "where poetry mattered, where women's words were as important as men's, where one is surprised by excellence, where good writing has a home, where [she] could nurture [her] addiction to literature, and play, enjoy, and entertain people drawn to quality books."   I love reading that quote over and over; it takes my breath away.

In its fifteenth year of business, Malaprop's was approached by a local investment group who wanted the bookstore to relocate into their newly purchased building a block away.  B'Racz discovered that the building had been built for use as an Elk's Club--a club that prohibits women from entering--so B'Racz says she could not refuse "that redemptive offer." 

After thirty years in business, Malaprop's is a beloved part of a now-vibrant downtown Asheville.  It is voted the best bookstore in Western North Carolina every year.  It is a favorite meeting place in downtown, with a cafe boasting a literary menu, fair trade coffee, and locally grown foods.  Malaprop's supports its community through monetary, book, and coffee donations. The bookstore offers book clubs, author signings, and writing workshops.

Owner B'Racz explains that, despite all the awards Malaprop's has won, she feels her success most "when a grandmother brings her granddaughter visiting from a big city to 'her bookstore,' or when a college student brings his visiting parents to show them 'his fave hangout.'  These are the most precious moments in a bookseller's life."

By the way, what is the meaning behind the store's name?  A malapropism is a ludicrous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of another sound.

One other tidbit I can't resist sharing:  when asked by a reporter which author, living or dead, would the general manager of Malaprop's most want to read at Malaprop's, she said:   "William Shakespeare.  I will spend my whole life in awe of his brilliant work and contribution to our culture."

Coincidentally, during my recent visit to Malaprop's, I didn't just buy books-- I bought a lovely set of notecards bearing Shakespeare quotes.

  

Sundog Books, Seaside

In May this year I visited Sundog Books with fellow booklover WordMom.

Sundog Books is located in picturesque Seaside, Florida.  You know, where the movie The Truman Show was filmed?  Sundog Books is right on Seaside's central square that surrounds the community amphitheater.  The square houses a number of shops, galleries, and restaurants, as well as a Farmers Market.  Oh, and the pristine beach is just steps away.  (I took this picture one morning while I sat on the beach alone for nearly an hour without seeing another human.)

Upon entering, the scent of Sundog Books immediately reminded me of a bookstore I frequented years ago in Abingdon, Virginia, as an undergraduate English major, back before most bookstores smelled like coffee.  Don't get me wrong--I love the aroma of coffee--but there is something pure and wonderful about the smell of real, honest to God books.  Add a hint of seaspray, and you've got the scent of Sundog Books.

Sunlight streams through the windows and the hardwood floor creaks as you browse the excellent selection of books and merchandise.  

No trip to Seaside is complete without visiting this charming store.  Sure, you could buy your beach reading material before you leave for vacation, but why not wait and buy it here?  The staff will provide you with excellent recommendations and you can support this independent gem.

To find out more about the history of Sundog Books, click here.  



Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore and Decafe, Cincinnati

In March this year I visited Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore and Decafe in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The store is located in Oakley Square on a block referred to by the locals as Kid's Row.  Along with the bookstore and coffee shop, the block boasts an amazing toy store, an old fashioned ice cream and candy shop, and a boutique children's clothing shop.   The drive from downtown Cincinnati to Oakley Square is short, and the area is lovely.  There is ample parking right beside the Blue Manatee store.

It's easy to see why Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore and Decafe has been voted the Best Non-Chain Bookstore in Cincinnati every year since 2006.   The store is large enough to offer a great many books but small enough to feel cozy and charming.  The displays are artistic and vibrant, attractive to parents and children alike. 

Throughout the store, there are engaging areas for children to plop down and read.

Honestly, though, the first thing I noticed right away were the walls.  What is all over them?  Look closer and you will discover authentic signatures, messages, and drawings left by authors and illustrators who have visited the store and left notes for the owners and customers.  

I had to find out more about the walls.  Turns out, there's an amazing story behind those walls and the bookstore itself.   

In 1989, a bookstore opened in that same spot called The Blue Marble.  In 2000, like many independent bookstores across the nation, The Blue Marble announced its closing.  Local residents were saddened by the news.  But two longtime customers, pediatrician turned novelist John Hutton and Montessori school teacher turned sculptor Sandy Gross, decided they could not bear to see the demise of "The Wall" and the bookstore.  Without lawyers, the couple wrote a one-page $5,000 buyout of the former bookstore's owner.  The contract was signed in green crayon.

The new owners renamed the bookstore The Blue Manatee and invested $40,000 in paint, carpet, shelves, computers, and an inventory of 10,000 volumes.  When they first bought the store, Ms. Gross said:  "It's not about making money.  We see it as a mission."  Why name a bookstore after a manatee?  Dr. Hutton explains that independent bookstores, like manatees, are an endangered species.   They are "sanctuaries of quality, whimsy, and inspiration, places where kids, parents, and the young-at-heart can go, slow down, and spend some quality time together," says Hutton.

In 2005, Dr. Hutton and Ms. Gross boarded up an office and turned that space into the decafe.  The decafe is a treat in its own right.  Shadow boxes containing eclectic items double as tables, inviting customers to pass the time by playing games or by making up stories based on the items in the boxes.  After buying our books and drinks, my children and I very much enjoyed several rounds of "I Spy," and some of the unusual shadow box items led to interesting discussions of history and the like. 

Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore and Decafe has won more awards than I can list here.  Dr. Hutton is a recognized figure in promoting more reading and outside time for kids and less time with technology.  Learn more about his efforts along those lines here and here.

Our time at Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore and Decafe was nothing short of wonderful.  I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to visit and experience this delightful place.   

Small Business Saturday and Independent Bookstores

© 2012 Lisa Ehrie, Thirteen Photography.  All rights reserved.

Today is Small Business Saturday--a day, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities.   I encourage all of you to support your favorite small businesses today and throughout this holiday season!  

You probably remember the gut-punch you felt when you learned that Borders Books and Music was closing.  Locals surely recall their near despair when they learned that Davis-Kidd Booksellers, a Nashville literary institution for 30 years, would close its doors for the last time. 

Imagine, then, how difficult it is for smaller independent bookstores to remain open when many of the big-box bookstores could not do it!  According to IndieBound, when you shop at independent bookstores, your entire community benefits in ways you might not have realized.  For example, spend $100 at a local business and $68 of that stays in your community; spend the same at a national chain, and your community sees only $43.  Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.  Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.

One of my favorite things to do while visiting a city is to explore its independent bookstores.  You can really get a sense of a place and its people by wandering the aisles of these local gems and sipping coffee at their in-house cafes.   So, in recognition of Small Business Saturday, this week I will be featuring several independent bookstores I've visited this year on my travels.  I would love to hear from you about bookstores I should put on my "must visit" list for future travels!

Remember, read global and shop local!

Life in Your Years

In September, I shared memories about people who made a difference in my life and told you how, through Spark, I hoped to pay forward the kindness and support those people had given me.

One of the people I mentioned in that blog entry was the Honorable Glen M. Williams, United States District Judge for the Western District of Virginia.   Judge Williams gave me the privilege of serving as a judicial intern in his chambers in 1995.  It was my first real legal job and I hadn't even attended my first day of law school.   During my senior year of college, I wrote my joint English/pre-law honors thesis on some of Judge Williams's many amazing experiences.  This project afforded me the opportunity to spend a year interviewing a man who would spend 34 years on the federal bench.  A man who was decorated for action in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Mediterranean theaters of war, who participated in the 1944 Allied Invasion of Southern France.    Those who knew Judge Williams understand that I spent a year listening to the one of the best storytellers in the world tell me stories I wouldn't have believed had I not known the source to be trustworthy.

For example, Judge Williams left school and enlisted in the Navy the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  As a Naval officer trainee at Columbia University in New York City, Judge Williams roomed with Herman Wouk, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Caine Mutiny, about life aboard a World War II minesweeper.  According to Judge Williams, he is one of the characters in Wouk's novel.

Judge Williams's recount of his rocky road to nomination to the federal bench was nothing short of fascinating.  He knew exactly how to weave a tale and appreciated that truth was, truly, stranger than fiction.

It was only years after my time spent with Judge Williams that I truly understood how remarkable was my  experience.

I learned from a friend today that Judge Williams died this weekend at age 92.   Abraham Lincoln said:  "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years."   Judge Williams was fortunate to celebrate many years of a live well lived, and I am fortunate to have known him.

To learn more about the life of Judge Williams, click here:

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/nov/06/tdmet04-retired-federal-judge-glen-m-williams-dies-ar-2339668/

or here:

http://www.thecoalfieldprogress.com/view/friends_fans_followers/20722735/article-Williams-known-as-sympathetic--sensible?listener=not_free&instance=free_article