The door opens and the ring of a bell sounds across the store to greet customers, welcoming them into a space filled with books bound in covers of various colors and sizes. They line the shelves and lay stacked on well-loved couches and tables, filled with stories and tales waiting for someone to open them. The sign in the front of the store has remained bolted to the building for many years, and the Austinites fill the room to support the locally owned bookstore as they have for many years.

Beyond the typical sale of books to customers and the spread of stories across the city, many local bookstores have features that set them apart, and one of these is the Black Pearl bookstore. The store makes a point of spreading the voices of marginalized groups according to the bookstore’s owner, Eric Brooks. Brooks spoke of his store being the first of its kind in the Austin area, and how its uniqueness has motivated the store to give back to the community in a way that reinforces the bookstore’s message of sharing everyone’s story as Brooks described. 

“Black Pearl Books is the only black-owned bookstore in Austin,” Brooks said. “Our in-store inventory is curated to focus on diversity, inclusion, and representation. [Additionally], our store has an affiliated nonprofit, Put It In a Book, which is our charitable arm.  The nonprofit shares the same mission as the bookstore, ‘To Promote Diversity, Inclusion, and Representation through literature’.”

Similar to Brook’s description of how Black Pearl Books gives back to the Austin area, First Light Bookseller Eliza Pillsbury described how the First Light bookstore and its relationship with its enriches those around it. On top of offering a space where readers and writers alike can enjoy the store, Pillsbury spoke about how the First Light customers and employees come together to create a

beautiful and diverse community.

“I’m really grateful as both a customer here and an employee for the space First Light has fostered for the Austin literary community,” Pillsbury said. “I think the people are the best and most unique thing about the store [because] everyone comes from different backgrounds and has niche interests, so we all add something special to the environment. I’ve gotten to know several of our regulars well, and those relationships make our jobs and the responsibility of the store in the community even richer.” 

The community’s relationships with these local bookstores can be observed by hearing the opinions of their customers, such as Book People shoppers Brooke Alexander and Kelly Alexander. As described by Kelly, the sisters’ love of the store can be seen in how often they enter its doors. 

“I come a little bit to Book People, and [Brooke] comes a lot,” said Kelly. “What’s funny is I live here, she’s in Houston. It’s just one of those places where it’s obvious that the people who run it deeply care about it, but it’s also crafted beyond.”

In addition to the impact in the local community made by these bookstores, they also have other features that make them distinct. According to Brooke, her favorite memories of Book People include these particular characteristics.

“I love all of the quantity of the recommendation cards [and] the shelf-talkers,” Brooke said, referring to the authors who would come inside the store and pitch their books to the store’s customers. “I just walked in and got to start a conversation with an author who is also a funeral director,  and that’s my special niche of interest – not funeral directing, but death and its trappings.” 

Due to all of these described features of the bookstores and more, those impacted by them such as Pillsbury speak so highly of them. According to Pillsbury, the community of First Light and those who visit it make it such an enjoyable place for her to get to experience. 

“I would just emphasize how invaluable the community has been to me as both a customer and employee,” Pillsbury said. “My favorite people in the world congregate at [this shop], and it is the privilege of a lifetime to work for and with them.”

This same appreciation for the bookstore is reflected in the words of Brooke, who comes to Book People as often as she can after company meetings at her workplace’s home office. According to Brooke. This local bookstore has a certain charm that makes it stand out proudly.

“Here’s a meta answer for you,” Brooke said. “It’s lovely because it’s a place where a young writer might come interview you and ask you why you’re here. I guess you don’t find that a lot of other places.”