"1st ever" SF Independent Bookstore Tour
Our first LitMinds adventure was to pull together 12 people -- a school teacher, a lawyer, a book publisher, an engineer, a management consultant, a university professor, etc. -- all different professions and backgrounds but with 1 common thread: a love of reading.
We borrowed idea of a "bookstore tour" from Larry Portzline (www.bookstoretourism.blogspot.com) who'd pulled together groups of book enthusiasts for several East Coast tours.
It was a ton of fun and a 'smashing' success. Here was the debrief from our 1st ever SF Independent Bookstore Tour:
Saturday, September 30th:
We knew the first Indie Bookstore Tour in San Francisco was off to a great start when Papa Gianni, the legendary owner of Caffe Trieste, unexpectedly greeted our group outside of his 50-year old café. Twelve of us had just gathered for some morning pastries and warm drinks -- the fun loving and free spirited tone was set for our five-hour tour of neighborhood bookstores in San Francisco.
Highlights of the Day:
Quote of the day -- "If you like reading, you must like thinking," Melissa, owner of the new bookstore, Bibliohead.
Find of the day -- You can find a brand new book with a list price of $20 actually selling for $6 if you know where to look. Hint -- Ask for publisher overstocks carried by some bookstores.
Insight of the day -- There is a unique history and story behind each indie bookstore. We enjoyed learning about the people, the personalities, and the causes represented by each bookstore. And we made a mental note to stop and chat with the bookstore employees next time we visit one, because a bookstore is more than a place where you can buy a book.
Here is the blow-by-blow account of our tour…
City Lights Books -- Our group first visited this historic SF bookstore, famously established by Beatnik poets in the 1960's. The store's multiple rooms and three-story layout invited browsing and dozens of SF photographs and prints on the walls documented the store's cultural legacy. As Kathy mentioned, "Reading feels like a political act when you are here."
Rav and Kathy at City Lights Books
Bibliohead -- Our second stop was one of SF's newest independent bookstores, a small shop opened two years ago in Hayes Valley. The owner, Melissa, warmly greeted our group to her updated spin on the bookstore. "If you love to read, you must love to think," she told the group. After 20 years working in other bookstores, Melissa made the bold decision to open an independent at a time when other city bookstores are closing their doors. "I've been meaning to write an article on 'The Birth of the Bookstore' since there has been so much press about the death of many others."
Dog Eared Books -- Next stop was the 800-900 block of Valencia Street in the Mission, where there are half a dozen bookstores, a writing center, and a small publisher within two city blocks. The store's manager, Alvin, showed off the bookstore's unique personality -- the mural painted outside the store by a local artist, the lounge area devoted to providing space for customers to read, and the journals cleverly made from recycled books.
Author Talks -- At lunch, we met with two local authors, Janis Cooke Newman and Gaurav Suri. Janis, who has written "Mary" a fictionalized account of Mary Todd Lincoln's life, shared how she read Mrs. Lincoln's letters everyday before writing in order to capture her protagonist's voice and psyche. Gaurav explained his motivation to write, "A Certain Ambiguity," a novel that explores mathematical concepts and hopes to make the notoriously complex field of higher math more approachable.
Modern Times Books -- One last stop on Valencia for our group -- we visited with Alice, one of the store's owners, at this collectively owned and operated bookstore. We were intrigued to learn of the 30-year history behind this liberally oriented store, including their recent innovation in providing classroom space for New College to support the shop's financial sustainability. "Selling books is incidental to our purpose to provide a platform to the liberal community" said Alice.
Meeting Reading Enthusiasts -- One of the trip's highlights for everyone was the chance to meet and spend time with new people. Every bookstore we visited, there were members of our group talking enthusiastically with one another. We were thrilled to see how this common thread of a love of reading drew people together in unexpected and exciting ways.
Everyone left the tour inspired to read and visit more bookstores, so we will be sure to plan another trip soon! If you want to find out more, feel free to contact us at christin.evans@gmail.com.
Happy reading!
Christin, Carrie and Praveen (SF Indie Bookstore Tour Organizers)