The Words, December 2015
Booklover Havens in the Neighborhood
Molly Sowash ‘16
Booklovers don’t have to wander far from campus to get outside of the bubble. The Twin Cities have a rich literary community filled with prominent independent presses such as Graywolf Press and Milkweed Editions, competitive creative writing MFA programs and a lengthy schedule of literary events and festivals. Minnesotan writers participate in workshops at The Loft Literary Center (the nation’s largest independent literary organization), take pride in resident writers such as Louise Erdrich and Neil Gaiman, and love their libraries and independent bookstores. We English majors picked the right place to study literature.
On a rainy day, the dreams of reading for pleasure amidst the chaos of the semester drew me to our own local bookstores. I had only to cross Snelling to explore Garrison Keillor’s Common Good Books. From the hand-written event postings on the back wall to the staff’s personal recommendation slips that stick out of the shelves, it is clear that Common Good Books is an active and ever-changing place. The store welcomes visitors to browse books in various displays from book racks to rolling tables, shelves, and coffee tables. Garrison Keillor has left his personal mark on the store with his writing desk from his New York apartment, his director chair, a pair of his tennis shoes and quotes on the wall such as, “We are not logs drifting down the stream of time. We have oars.” In fact, the place feels like you’ve walked into Keillor’s living room with its couches, wood floors, a nice rug and tons of books.
After moving from their cramped location in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood in 2011, Common Good Books has enriched the literary scene around campus. As tenants of Macalester College, they have access to spaces like the chapel or Kagin, where they host events such as the upcoming reading by George Saunders. Macalester students work in the store. Macalester professors put on book release events in the store. And the English department works with Common Good Books to bring audience members to their events. Speaking with Assistant Manager and Event Coordinator, David Enyeart, I realized the many roles that a book store can take. “We do author events. We have a book club,” he said, “We host another book club that’s run by a group called Fitzgerald in St. Paul, they discuss a different Fitzgerald short story each month and have in an expert to talk about one of the topics in the stories.”
Next I headed up Grand Ave to Sixth Chamber Used Books, a bookstore that believes in “the element of serendipity,” when a book finds a reader at the perfect time. They are dedicated to providing the magical space for customers to encounter good books. From the long stuffed snake that curls around the rafters to the ceiling-high bookshelves and toy section, Sixth Chamber offers an imaginative and welcoming environment for the curious browser. This is my personal favorite local bookstore for its warm atmosphere and corners where you can curl up in a chair and page through a new discovery.
Established in 1995, Sixth Chamber set out to combine “the cleanliness and organization of a new bookstore with the reasonable prices and depth of inventory of the used bookstore.” The store allows for the wandering customer to explore yet maintains clear cataloging for the customer with a mission. They buy books from individuals by appointment and pride themselves on taking only books in good condition. In addition to buying and selling books, Betty at the front desk spoke to me about the many community events they host such as book clubs, knitting groups, game nights and storytime. “A lot of fun for families,” she remarked. The people at Sixth Chamber are big fans of Macalester students and enjoy seeing alums return with their families to reminisce in the old bookstore.
Last May, Common Good Books and Sixth Chamber Used Books took part in the Twin Cities’ celebration of the first nationwide Independent Bookstore Day. Stores across the cities celebrated with literary games, snacks, face-painting, festivities and decreasing book prices into the evening. Not long ago, many suspected bookstores would fall out of business due to e-readers and Amazon. The very opposite has happened. The number of independent bookstores has risen by twenty percent since 2006. If the Twin Cities are any indication, these bookstores are here to stay.