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Bel Canto Books

California

2122 E 4th St, Long Beach CA 90814

What are the 3 adjectives you would use to describe your bookstore?

Inviting, Surprising, Communal

Share a quote from a book or poem that bares your bookstore’s soul.

“When I hear Roxane sing I am still able to think well of the world,” Gen said. “This is a world in which someone could have written such music, a world in which she can still sing that music with so much compassion. That’s proof of something, isn’t it? I don’t think I would last a day without that now.”

Ann Patchett / Bel Canto

Why was your bookstore founded/what role does it play in the community?

Our bookstore was founded out of a desire to reconnect with our childhood love of reading and to share that love with our community. Our focus is on books by women and people of color so that we can all see ourselves reflected in the pages of the books we read.

Which champion/warrior/wildcat (real or mythological) does your bookstore channel most?

Ann Patchett is our bookstore hero and who we look up to the most.

What makes your bookstore unique?

We’re part of an ever-expanding and ever-evolving women-led shop collective that currently includes our bookstore, a plant store, a vintage goods store, and a tea shop/apothecary. We also have plans to add a cafe/wine bar.

What is something that no one knows about your bookstore?

Not sure. We’re pretty much an open book.

Image description: A multi-textured blue background, including textures and words from book pages.