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.
