June 23-29, 2005
cover story
Biblio File
Short stories on our favorite indie bookstores
History Lesson: Since 1960, Hakim's has offered books by African-American authors on everything from civil rights to astrology. Photo By: Patrick Rapa  |
|
Hakim's Bookstore
If Hakim's wasn't the first bookstore to specialize in African-American authors and issues then it was surely the first on the East Coast. That's what company president Yvonne Blake speculates. Her dad, Dawud Hakim, founded the store at 60th and Walnut in 1960, and moved it to its current location on busy 52nd Street a few years later. He passed away in 1997, with his family carrying on the business.
These days Hakim's is connected to a gift shop offering greeting cards, large porcelain dolls of color, and a wealth of Kwanzaa candles and other supplies. Of course, the store's primary mission remains, according to Blake, to sell books and "to educate people about African-American history."
The crowded but well-organized shelves reflect that, with hardcover texts of the civil rights movement, collections of interviews with freed slaves, and biographies of everybody from Frederick Douglass to Harriet Tubman to Malcolm X to Jackie Robinson. Some are self-published, some are mainstream releases. Because the store is an official vendor for the Philadelphia School District, textbooks are available as well. Hakim's also offers a direct mail-order service to prisons, which don't allow private book deliveries.
Hakim started out selling the works of controversial historian J.A. Rogers — who wrote Five Negro Presidents and 100 Amazing Facts about the Negro with Complete Proof — from the trunk of his car. Those books are still available at Hakim's today.
But the stock is not limited to the political and historical. Self-help manuals, religious tomes, astrology guides, cookbooks, poetry collections and thrillers also line the shelves. Works by new writers are often accepted on a consignment basis.
One bright little corner is dedicated to kids' books. "When I grew up we didn't have any books with African-American children in them," says Blake.
--Patrick Rapa
210 S. 52nd St., 215-474-9495, www.hakimsbookstore.com.
It's Elementary: Art Bourgeau, co-owner of Whodunit, will solve all of your crime fiction and mystery problems. Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
|
Whodunit Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
|
Let's say you have hard-boiled crime fiction down cold. You know the Holy Trinity (Hammett, Chandler, Cain — or Hammett, Chandler, MacDonald, depending on whom you ask). You're steeped in cult faves like Jim Thompson and David Goodis. Not only have you heard of P.J. Wolfson, but you own a copy of his impossible-to-find Bodies Are Dust. In short, when it comes to bad blondes and snap-brim fedoras, you're the business.
Not so fast, tough guy. You've yet to meet Art Bourgeau, co-owner of Whodunit, a Philly institution since 1977, and the second oldest mystery bookshop in the U.S. The joy of Art is walking into this shop and asking him to recommend a book. He'll ask you, in his slow Tennessee drawl, what you like to read, and then he'll start plucking titles from his tightly packed shelves and giving you brief glimpses of the glories within — a bit of backstory, a spare, pointed mini-review, or maybe a full-on rave. This reader walked into Whodunit a few weeks back to report a story; he walked out with $45 worth of paperbacks, more than half of them by unfamiliar names. The pick of the litter: The House on Q Street by "Robert Dietrich" — a pen name for Watergate mastermind E. Howard Hunt. It was a conk on the noggin straight out of a Chandler novel. This reader — who prides himself on knowing his crime fiction — was schooled.
Here's a tip: Step inside the shop one lazy afternoon, walk up to Art or his business partner Henry Reifsnyder, and say the words "Charles Willeford." Tell 'em Swierczy sent ya.
--Duane Swierczynski
1931 Chestnut St., 215-567-1478.
Back to Basics: Ricci Andeer and her husband, Rolf, keep things simple and homey in their beloved Fairmount shop. Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
|
Bookhaven Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
|
Rolf and Ricci Andeer, married proprietors of Bookhaven, have a mantra: "Keep it primitive!" They have no cash register, no computer and no employees save for a longhaired cat named Holly who roams the store 24/7 and is known to swallow mice whole. What they do have is six rooms and a hallway full of carefully chosen titles — and the most thorough history collection in the city. "Austrian history at the turn of the century? We have that!" says Ricci. "We have a really good bookstore for readers, curious people who are into history, philosophy, literature and art."
The Andeers started Bookhaven 18 years ago, selling their home so they could purchase an unpretentious former candy shop at the intersection of three neighborhoods: Spring Garden, Fairmount and Francisville. From the beginning, though, they were determined to make Bookhaven more than a neighborhood store. Voracious readers and humanities students themselves (Rolf was into Chinese studies, Ricci into Russian), they diligently set out to build up their stock to its current 100,000 titles by offering to buy old books from Main Line estates, churches, libraries and people who were moving. Even today, Rolf spends much of his week combing the region for new acquisitions while Ricci mans the front desk.
Despite the lack of an online presence or advertising budget, Bookhaven has been voted "Best Used Bookstore" in Philadelphia multiple times by various publications, largely because it's an easy place to find specific titles. Aided by a homespun catalogue system (a few boxes of 3x5 cards), the Andeers have an astonishing grasp of what's on their shelves. They also have a two-pronged quality strategy: Weed out any title that doesn't sell after a few years, and stock deep on about a thousand well-known writers. "If you want to read everything written by Kerouac, Trollope, or other literary folk," says Ricci proudly, "you come here."
--Audrey Gray
2202 Fairmount Ave., 215-235-3226.
Out West: Debbie Sanford and Greg Schirm's West Philly shop caters to academics and collectors. "We're more oriented towards being librarians than booksellers," laughs Schirm. "When we sell books, we feel the section is incomplete." Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
|
House Of Our Own Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
|
Debbie Sanford and Greg Schirm arrange their books into almost countless subjects. Nationalism. Unemployment. Youth and Family. You name it. House of Our Own, the pair's West Philly bookstore founded in 1971, offers reading material for thinkers and neatniks. Little labels dot the dozens of tall, tidy shelves. Every scholarly text fits just right. Literature falls under region of the world, then author's last name. "We're more oriented towards being librarians than booksellers," laughs Schirm. "When we sell books, we feel the section is incomplete." Penn kids come for course textbooks, while the most loyal customers, out-of-state academics and collectors, come for the broad selection of serious stock. Think social theory and philosophy — topics to provide background in the politics of the country — rather than coffee and arts (though, as Sanford points out, there's a teeny bit of that too). Sections expand or contract depending on the news. And a little-known extra: Walk behind the counter, up the creaky staircase, for another floor of just used books. "The store is much bigger than it appears from the outside," says Sanford. Seriously. You gotta pay close attention not to miss the place: Occasional boxes of free books on the front porch are a big help and a clear distinction from neighboring Penn frat houses. About 10 years ago, the University of Pennsylvania "had other ideas about the use of the building," says Sanford, citing office space or another fraternity as the store's potential one-time fate, but these days, Penn considers them "an asset to the university campus." The future, she says, depends on the customers. Will the next generation love "real books," she wonders.
--Tami Fertig
3920 Spruce St., 215-222-1576.
Language Arts: Issam Masri offers Arabic lessons and translation services along with books, foreign newspapers and flavored tobacco. Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
|
al Warrack Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
|
Everyone's been past Al Warrack, even if they don't know it as such. To many, it's simply "that place with the hookahs." Tucked away on Second Street just below South, Al Warrack Books & Gifts — save for the collection of water pipes for sale in the front window — is sort of inconspicuous. A desk manned either by owner Issam Masri or his wife, Mary Sue, perches just inside the door; the north wall is lined with tomes, mostly in Arabic but some in Farsi, Urdu and English; the shelves along the south wall stock foreign periodicals and gifts from the Arab world — ceramic tiles from Turkey, art prints from Iran, finely detailed woodwork (such as decorative boxes and Koran stands), flavored tobacco (the stuff they smoke in those water pipes throughout the Middle East), and even bidet attachments common in many Arabic countries.
The store's mission is simple: "It exists so that information is available in Arabic," says Mary Sue, tending the store while Issam is in his native Lebanon on business. "There are a lot of people here who speak Arabic, and they [need] a place to get books."
The store's selection is wide, from children's books and cookbooks to literature, politics (such as Bob Woodward's Arabic-translated The Commanders) and Arabic studies (Nurit Kliot's Water Resources and Conflict In the Middle East). In addition to walk-in sales, the store does a brisk business with public libraries around the country.
But more than an information source, Al Warrack is a resource center, providing fax and copy services as well as translation of documents like residency and driver's license applications, birth certificates and school grades. Issam also teaches Arabic in informal Saturday morning sessions, generally over thick Turkish coffee and cigarettes, and often from books he's published himself. (Call or stop by for more information.)
"We get a lot of people — American born and bred — who want to learn Arabic and learn about the culture," explains Mary Sue. "He still has people showing up on Saturday mornings."
--Brian Howard
618 S. Second St., 215-574-9223.
Unbound: Ross Amico's Famulus supplements its literary canon with a 25-cent summer reading rack. Photo By: Michael T. Regan |
|
With its brown-brick facade, rollout awning and decorative storefront window, Famulus Books is straight out of a Rockwell painting. The building's on a quiet, leafy corner on 22nd near Spruce, and on the exposed brick facing the alleyway, in fading yellow paint, reads a century-and-a-half-old advertisement for "David Mann, Meats and Provisions." Inside are high, tin ceilings and sanded bookshelves. Classical music plays on the radio.
"This place has a charm to it," says owner Ross Amico, 38, a cordial man with long black hair, bifocals and a love of Hermann Hesse. "It is peaceful."
The book stock is diverse and reasonably priced: an early edition of Dos Passos' Manhattan Transfer goes for five dollars. "We try to specialize in literature, local history and music," says Amico. "But we also have a 25-cent summer reading rack."
For years Amico operated a bookshop on 17th Street, also called Famulus, but rent skyrocketed and the store closed. Soon after, William Allen Bookseller, on 20th and Walnut streets, closed and almost all of Center City West was left without a used bookstore.
Last year, Amico was walking down 22nd when he noticed a "For Lease" sign hanging among the flutes and clarinets and oboes of the Woodwind Instrument repair shop. He pounced and opened shop in January. On a recent morning, he was busy unloading cartons of paperback novels and hardback texts donated by a professor friend.
"If you can't find a title on the shelves," he said smiling, "please ask because I very well could have it here somewhere."
--Mike Newall
244 S. 22nd St., 215-732-9509.
Voices & Visions Books Arts Community
New books in Old City? You bet. Thanks to the just-about-to-open Voices & Visions, arts lovers now have a one-stop shop. Not only will the stock have an emphasis on the arts — performing arts, film, visual art, photography — but owner Angela Roach has big plans to make the store part of the community as well: "I want to set up writers' groups, artists' groups, reading groups, film groups, panel discussions, forums and workshops." Roach says she'd love to work with the local theater community (the store will offer affordable actors' editions of plays), and she's planning a 13-week workshop in September with a social worker to discuss the book The Artist's Way, about overcoming creative blocks. "So it's not only for the general public, but also specialized for the arts community," says Roach.
--Lori Hill
As of press time, the store's scheduled to open near the end of the first week of July. The Bourse, Fourth and Ranstead sts., lower level, 215-625-4740.
GERM Books and Gallery
According to owner/operator Jennifer Bates, these days the hot item at GERM — Fishtown's hippest paranormal-minded bookshop — is John Titor. He's a guy who popped up on the Web for a few months in late 2000/early 2001 saying he traveled back in time from 2036 to hint at impending destruction (and post pics of his rather beat-looking time machine). He has since disappeared. Besides its unusual selection (topics range from abductions to survivalistic cannibalism to the works of C.S. Lewis), GERM is also host to monthly UFO discussion groups (every second Thursday) and offbeat art installations (Bruce Glider's psychedelic digital alien prints go up July 1.) GERM is only open on weekends, which doesn't leave many more shopping days before the 2005 civil war (source: John Titor).
--Patrick Rapa
308 E. Girard Ave., 215-423-5002.
Book Corner
Many used bookstores hover close to nonprofit margins, but at Book Corner, it's official. The 10-year-old store set in a former bindery (book repair, nothing kinky) is run by Friends of the Free Library, an advocacy group trying to keep the city's public libraries open. Despite the nonprofit status, Book Corner manager Leonard Gontarek has a marketing jones, and he's constantly coming up with new draws, from poetry contests to a $1 vinyl section. He also runs monthly sales. "We are the lowest price in the city, there's no doubt," he says. "Most used bookstores' prices are 60 percent of the cover price. We're 25 to 45 percent."
--Audrey Gray
311 N. 20th St., 215-567-0527.
New China Book Store
When Feihong Lily Song, owner of New China Bookstore, wanted to find a copy of Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese classic that "covers everything" about Chinese culture, for her daughter, she looked in several cities without finding a single copy. "I think it's wrong," Song thought. Right then, she decided, "I have to have my own bookstore." Years later, in 1999, her dream came true when she opened one in Chinatown. Formerly a teacher in China, she provides titles that range from Chinese translations of Bill Clinton's autobiography to English translations of books on how to care for a bonsai tree.
--Helen i-lin Hwang
1010 Race St., 215-627-4507, www.xinhuabooks.com.
Horizon Books
The much-beloved Basic Black Books didn't go gently — its being priced out of its familiar corner of the Gallery mall was protested by customers, book-club members and the authors it helped to make successful, like Karen E. Quinones Miller. For many, there's no replacing Basic Black, but Horizon Books, which took over the location two years ago, isn't unwelcome, as it also dedicates its shelves to the works of contemporary African-American authors. "It's black books to serve the black community in all categories," according to manager Tamika Diaz. "It's everything from street to Christian, from new authors to ones who have been out there." They keep an eye out for local and self-publishing authors, too.
--P.R.
The Gallery at Market East, Mall Level, Ninth and Market sts., 215-625-7955.
Big Jar Books
The owners of Big Jar once ran a recording studio of the same name, so called for the large glass jars in which they'd suspend microphones to experiment with sound. Several of those jars now grace the bookshop's center shelves, while the owners experiment with books. For eight years, the store's been just what Old City needed. (And the addition of the dislocated Book Trader hasn't taken away from either store. There are enough nerds in this office alone to sustain two quirky bookshops on Second Street.) Big Jar boasts killer finds in art history, film, women's studies and children's books, but fiction lovers and science buffs won't be disappointed. Pull up with a cup of coffee at a back table in the world history section, or gain perspective from the smooth wooden stools in the fiction stacks. Steve Gutin, who owns Big Jar with Patrick Richardson Graham, says customers appreciate the uncluttered nature of the shelves. "We try to keep it organized and free of junk," he says. "People have noticed that. There's no filler; it's quality stuff." The team behind Big Jar also lends support to the 215 Festival, the rock 'n' roll literary showcase that's been taking over Philly stages since 2002.
--L.H.
55 N. Second St., 215-574-1650.
Hibberd's Books
Hibberd's Books doesn't waste much surface space. Shelves, tables, the floor beneath the tables: Treasures and junk pile up just about everywhere. Since 1986, local residents and art students have come here for rare reads, discounted remainders and "used but not abused books," says Hayes Hibberd, who runs the store with his wife, Vail. (The two bookworms met while working a few doors down at the former Sessler's Bookshop. Aw.) "Stumbling on books," says Hayes, is half the fun, so forgive the clutter and check out the impressive art and art history collection.
--Tami Fertig
1306 Walnut St., 215-546-8811.
The Last Word Bookshop
Nestled between a diner and a yoga studio, the Last Word Bookshop on Walnut Street offers what owner Larry Maltz describes as "good books in most subjects." Celebrating its third year in business this month, The Last Word's shelves and tables are packed with an excellent stock of used titles, making it an inviting place for people who are "comfortable with browsing," says Maltz, "which is something you don't get online." The shop's proximity to the University of Pennsylvania ensures a healthy clientele, split evenly between students and "other people," as Maltz puts it, and the book-buying policy means substantial discounts on last semester's reading list.
--Jesse Delaney
3925 Walnut St., 215-386-7750.
Miscellanea Libri
Far in the recesses of Reading Terminal Market, behind The Beer Garden, there's a tiny nook crammed with knowledge and reverence for the written word. Magic Markered shelf labels denote the "esoteric and occult" and "philosophy and psychology" selections, while other signs are of a more general nature: "The Price is the Price is the Price Inside the Front Cover"; "The Youth of a Book Is Short. Treat a Book as You Would Treat a Lady." Besides fiction and nonfiction titles, the shelves — and piles on the floor and stools — house books on everything from the paranormal to African studies. A recent visit uncovered a lovely compendium of children's nursery rhymes and several Bobbsey Twin volumes.
--L.H.
Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch sts., 215-238-9884.
Wooden Shoe Books & Records
Wooden Shoe strikes an unassuming pose from its position just off South Street. But the stacks inside are far from benign. The store was founded in 1976 by Philadelphia Solidarity — working-class intellectuals following in the footsteps of the 1960s labor movement. In the years since, a volunteer-only collective of anarchists and other folks has maintained the shop as a sure-fire stop for everything from The People's History of the United States to Zapatista coffee and Palestinian olive oil. All profits are funneled back into the store or community groups such as unions or feminist libraries. "What we are most proud of is we actually know our books," says James Robinson, a Wooden Shoe staffer since 2000. "That is how independent bookstores continue to survive: by specializing in a subject instead of being a catchall bookstore like Borders."
--Andrew Parks
508 S. Fifth St., 215-413-0999.
Book Trader
It was over a year ago but seems like only yesterday that Book Trader moved its quarter-million books to Old City, officially turning South Street over to the idiots. The largest used book store in the city, by some estimates, stood at Fifth and South for some 29 years and, according to owner Peter Hiler, some customers still haven't found the Second and Market location yet. What's different about the new rectangular place? It still offers two often-cluttered floors with tall shelves and myriad sections, but, says Hiler, the quality of books has gone up (fancier trade-ins from the First Friday crowd?). So has its sense of possibility; in a year or so he hopes to make use of the third floor with photo exhibitions, film screenings and maybe a lecture series.
--P.R.
N. Second and Market sts., 215-925-0517.
W J Bookstore
The first Chinese bookstore in Philly, the W J Bookstore has been on Arch Street for 19 years. Its aim is to be an Asian bookstore, but manager Lin Liu finds, like many other independent bookstores, it's hard due to the Web. People can not only buy books, but they can "read magazines on the Internet." About 90 percent of the books are from Taiwan, though Liu estimates that 70 percent of his customers are from China. The business, owned by Howard Lee, who's based in New York, is also an outpost for the popular Chinese-language newspaper, the World Journal, for which Liu is also a local reporter.
--Hi.H.
1017 Arch St., 215-592-9666.
Joseph Fox Bookshop
For 50 years Joseph Fox Bookshop has been a purveyor of new books at 17th and Sansom (although since 2001 customers no longer have to climb down to the basement to browse). Owner Michael Fox's book-loving parents founded the store, and now he keeps an eye on things from his office through a window in the wall of the kids' section. He also curates a star-studded reading series at Friends Select School, which started with Sebastian Junger in 1997 and this season hosted Paul Krugman, Robert F. Kennedy, Sean Astin and Terrell Owens. Fox says confidently that they maintain solvency "by providing a concentration of good books, high quality and the best customer service." Current big sellers are such heavyweights as David McCullough's 1776 and Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat, but the store's selection of design books is impressive, as is a fun little rack at the front that last week included a copy of painter-wit James Abbott McNeill Whistler's The Gentle Art of Making Enemies.
--L.H.
1724 Sansom St., 215-563-4184, www.geocities.com/mfox1724/. AIA Bookstore & Design Center
You'll have to wade past banana doorstops, garden gnomes and emotional-baggage luggage tags to find the books at the AIA Bookstore & Design Center, but General Manager Michael Fulkerson says it's supposed to be a trip. "The whole goal here is to make you feel inspired and make you laugh." Started in 1976 as a place for local architects to purchase legal building documents, the store is still owned by the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Indeed, among the silver glow lamps you'll find 5,000 shiny art books covering all aspects of design, plus the store's biggest draw: a thorough collection of Philadelphia-themed guidebooks, maps and monographs.
--A.G.
117 S. 17th St., 215-569-3188.
Giovanni's Room
Little did James Baldwin know that he'd be donating more than just a groundbreaking novel to the reading public. His book also gave name to one of the country's best bookstores for the gay and lesbian community. Even though Giovanni's Room has a healthy online business, it's the store itself that's the real winner. Smack in the middle of the Gayborhood, Giovanni's has been a haven for all things queer since 1973. Author appearances, discussion groups, musical performances: The store's played host to it all over the years. And the stock? Well, whether you're looking for Jeannette Winterson, Colm Toibin or books on gay parenting, there's simply no equal.
--L. H.
345 S. 12th St., 215-923-2960.
Bainbridge Books
This charming Bella Vista corner bookstore is not about to make it easy on you. The sign on the door doesn't list hours, merely warning that you will only find yourself inside "by chance or appointment." And the accompanying phone number is either a fax machine or the proprietors communicate with screeches and beeps. But if you should be walking by and notice the door open, or even slightly ajar, do not hesitate to push your way in. Once inside, you will wriggle through crowded stacks and shelves of used works of fiction in really nice condition and a few sweet first editions. But if you get locked in you will probably die.
--P. R.
Ninth and Bainbridge sts., 215-627-4569 (fax). Junco & Grouse
"My inspiration when I started the store was Joseph Fox, and now it's the Fleisher," says Jorge Santana with a laugh. Santana opened Junco & Grouse in the bookshop-thirsty Queen Village in March, occupying a small but prime spot on Fabric Row, near Essene and Famous 4th Street Deli. He says the neighborhood's "chock-full" of artists, and is impressed with the new breed of printmakers and crafty folks streaming out of art schools, making their own books and journals. Santana hopes to bring some of that handmade work into the shop. His interests are many: He's a fan of small presses like Soft Skull and McSweeney's, but he's also catering to the folks who come to Fabric Row to shop by bringing in some titles on textiles and fabric design. So while his humanities stock will reflect the reading requests of the neighborhood, he specializes here and there, too. "I have to experiment every day to do it," he says. But in the end, it'll be good for us. "I think Philly could use a good kick in the cultural pants when it comes to literature," says Santana.
--L.H.
716 S. Fourth St., 215-923-1959.
Chris' Corner
With the passing of Chris Saad, founder of Chris' Corner, last year, the fate of the children's bookstore was up in the air. But Saad's family was so touched by the outpouring of support at her memorial that they decided to keep the store open. Now managed by Suzanne Braverman, who has worked at Chris' for four years, the cozy establishment remains open seven days a week. Its motto, "No coffee, great books," emphasizes a focus on the books without caffeinating the young'uns. Besides selling books and adorable specialty gift packages, the store runs a book club where kids receive a recommended book each month.
--Hi.H.
1940 Pine St., 215-790-1727, www.pond.com/~chris.
Robin's Books
"The duty of the bookseller in a democratic society is to make certain the information is available so people can make informed decisions," says Larry Robin, owner of the oldest independent bookstore in town. "My job is to facilitate, not to judge. The public makes the judgments." That's why he frequently hosts author readings and community meetings — at least two a week, sometimes two or three a night. His grandfather David started the business in 1936, and it moved every 20 years or so until Robin took ownership of its current, two-story, Isaiah Zagar'd location on 13th Street. While that location specializes in new and notable fiction, nonfiction and magazines, the satellite store on Chestnut Street near 18th offers used and discounted books.
--P.R.
108 S. 13th St., 215-735-9600; 1837 Chestnut St., 215-567-2615.
-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there
