In July 16, 1995, a strange hurricane began to form, one that – initially at least –– would aim only at bookstores. It was then that a former Wall Street executive opened his online bookstore from the garage of his rented home in Bellevue, Washington and named it Amazon. As hurricanes are wont to do, it created a stir. It quickly found its way to sales in all 50 states as well as many other countries. Of course, it also did some damage. Five years after Amazon’s onset, the American Booksellers Association (ABA) recorded a 43% decline in independent bookstores nationwide. And then in 2020 another disaster erupted: Covid closed the doors of many bookstores across the country.
So, one might be surprised to learn the results of a later ABA survey that found that between 2009 and 2018 the number of independent bookstores rose in the U.S. from 1,651 to 2,470, a 49 percent increase. And that’s only those stores that chose to join the ABA. New bookshops are opening up regularly, as we can readily see in Providence.
Providence’s bookstores survived through the onslaughts of Amazon and Covid and several new ones have cropped up in the past few years. This story covers only those stores that fit the general definition of an independent bookstore, i.e., a privately or cooperatively owned retail shop that is not a chain or branch store. This definition rules out our university bookstores, although they are listed at the end of this article. There are now have eight independent bookstores within the city. All of them offer not only book sales but also something that is truly appreciated following the pandemic: a sense of community. They are listed from the earliest established to the most recent.
1992 BOOKS ON THE SQUARE, 471 Angell Street, T: 401 331 9097
This bookstore has been in operation in its same location in Wayland Square for 32 years. Founded in 1992, it changed hands in 2007 with the current owners, Rod Clifton, a retired Brown professor of engineering and his wife Merc. Jennifer Kandarian, the store manager and adult book buyer, has been supervising operations there for the past 24 years. “I select books every week, looking for local authors, local history, known writers, and timely topics. The conversations we have with our customers in part informs our purchases.” Her strategy during the height of Covid was to turn more to the store’s website for sales Although their lively series of events was curtailed during the pandemic, they now stage about 30 a year – authors’ events, children’s story times, and book clubs. And dogs are always welcome.
Here one will also find the largest selection of children’s books in this area. Buyer Christina Iannarino, who conducts programs in schools and works with literacy experts, highlighted what is most popular now. For the pre-school crowd, “the hottest items are those that are interactive, such as lift-the-flap books and those that make sounds. Also popular are toys that accompany books, such as stuffed toys or puzzles that ‘live off the page’.” The middle school books that sell the best are the fantasy series. “For young adults,” Christina says, “anything with murder in the title seems to sell well. This is a safe way for kids to experience a wide range of emotions.”
1996 PAPER NAUTILUS, 19 South Angell Street, T: 401 521 5533
This popular Wayland Square bookstore has been serving the community for nearly 30 years. Its owner Kristin Sollenberger earned a degree from RISD in painting and opened her shop in 1996, a year after Amazon’s launch. Twenty-one years later she thought of closing the shop, because her landlord — just 6 weeks before her lease renewal — had decided to sell the building. But the community came to the rescue, raising enough funds to renovate a nearby building that she was able to buy. Her capacious, two-level store is stocked with 25,000 new and used books for adults and children. Also on sale are interesting vintage items. One might find there a Keith Haring poster or a portable artist easel or a bolt of colorful Marimekko fabric. Although the majority of books are in English, Kristina also has sections of books in French, German, Italian and Spanish (as well as some in Greek, Latin and Portuguese). In addition, she curates about three art exhibitions a year, generally of local artists. During Covid, she closed her shop completely for three months. Now it is open to readers every day.
2004 SYMPOSIUM BOOKS, 240 Westminster Street, T: 401 273 7900
On October 10, national and state congressional figures joined local readers to celebrate Symposium Books’ 20th anniversary. When owner Scott McCullough opened the shop in 2004, Providence’s revitalization had not yet begun, and most of the nearby buildings were boarded up. “It was a gamble, he said, “but I wanted to be in the center of town”. But the gamble seems to have paid off. Amazon made no adverse impact on the store. During Covid, it was closed for five months, although they continued with the bike delivery service that had been in place before the pandemic. The store sells both new and used books and records. It has become a community meeting place, staging about four events each week, including authors’ readings, fiction and non-fiction book clubs, as well as a silent book club that meets three times a month. While Covid silenced the Open Mic events, they are now being offered again. Scott also operates a branch of the store at WaterFire Center that specializes mainly in art books and is also partnering with the Graduate Hotel and the Beatrice Hotel. Under the name of Symposium Records, the store also offers disc jockey services at local events. Scott’s newest idea, still to be launched, is to create a Providence Book Fair.
2011 LOVECRAFT ARTS & SCIENCES, The Arcade, 65 Weybosset Street, T: 401 264 0838
This non-profit organization and bookstore was founded in 2011 to honor H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937). He was a Providence-based author who, although relatively unknown during his lifetime, is now celebrated for creating weird fiction, a genre that combines fantasy, horror and science fiction. The store is run by the Council, a group of 20 academics and enthusiasts and is currently chaired by Niels-Viggo-Hobbs, Associate Teaching Professor of ecology and marine biology at the University of Rhode Island. Three staff members help readers navigate the store’s offerings, which include books on macabre, occult, science fiction and horror themes, New England history and folklore, and original art works and other collectibles. Fiona Geist, who formerly worked at Borders, has been there for a bit more than two years. She spoke with knowledge and enthusiasm about the unique contributions that Lovecraft Arts & Sciences makes to Providence. They host lectures on Lovecraft and his scientific interests, walking tours, film screenings and art exhibitions. This past August 2,000 people from 20 countries attended their biennial NecronomiCon Providence (necronomicon-providence.com), an academic/community convention of weird fiction that draws people from near and afar. Participants were able to engage in creative writing, academic discussions, films, gaming and art.
2016 STAGES OF FREEDOM, 10 Westminster Street, T: 401 421 0606
Located on the ground floor of what was the tallest building in downtown Providence in 1855, this award-winning non-profit store has a mission: to celebrate African-American history. In the 1970s, Ray Rickman and Robb Dimmick started what was then known as Cornerstone Bookstore, on Brook Street. There they hosted events with prominent figures such as Jamaica Kincaid, James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni. Ray points out that they “integrate commerce with history” — selling books and vintage items, all of which are donated. (Robb mentioned a few of the high-profile donors—Sheldon Whitehouse, Brett Smiley and the Rhode Island Foundation). Even before Covid, they turned to auctions to sell some of their more valuable items, a practice they continue. Two-thirds of their clientele are tourists, mostly from Boston and New York. Robb has written a bibliography of 900+ articles illuminating the Black experience in Rhode Island, something that no other state has done. It’s due to him and Ray that we know a bit about important Black Providence-based figures such as Sissieretta Jones, a noted soprano who performed at the White House for four presidents and used her fame to combat discrimination in the early part of the 20th century. Or Edward Bannister, a celebrated artist and art critic whose painting won first prize at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876
Stages of Freedom serves our community in many ways. For eight years now, proceeds from the store have supported a free swimming program at YMCAs across the state that is offered to 500 youth from 5-19 years of age. Rickman said, “85 percent of Blacks don’t swim, thus Black youth in Rhode Island drown at five times the rate of White youth.” The success of this program led the YMCA to honor Ray Rickman as a 2024 YMCA Hero. They also sponsor walking tours, lectures, and youth empowerment workshops. Thanks to RIDOH, the store also offers up to six free at-home COVID tests. To reserve these tests, simply email stagesoffreedom@aol.com (put “tests” in the subject line). :
2017 RIFFRAFF BOOKSTORE + BAR, 60 Valley Street, Suite 107A, 401 421 4371
Founded in 2017 in an historical mill complex called The Plant, Riffraff just celebrated a new anniversary. October 1, 2024 marked the first year of the new ownership of Riffraff. A creative couple (who had liked the store so much that they had held their baby shower there) couldn’t resist buying it when it came on the market. Ottavia De Luca, a former member of Out Theatre and one who had worked with wines and liquors, took on the bookstore’s general management. Her husband Lucas Mann, an associate professor of English and Writing at UMass Dartmouth and an award-winning author of non-fiction books, is handling the events programs. Two of his books, Lord Fear: A Memoir and Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere have been named one of the best books of the year in 2015 and 2013 respectively. In a recent interview, Lucas said, “The first year has been as positive as we could possibly have expected. We’ve seen a growing audience that has evolved to include young, progressive professionals, writers and poets. We loved Riffraff as it was before. Tom and Emma (the previous owners) did a good job, and it seemed foolish to mess with it too much. We wanted to honor what people loved about it.”
During Covid, the previous owners used the outside courtyard for events. These now are generally held inside, where the space is divided half and half between the bookstore and the bar. The revenues too are fairly split between those two entities. “We’ve ramped up the number of events, Lucas says. All free, they now average about three a week and include writers discussions, Literary Trivia!, poetry readings, and two book clubs (one fiction, one non-fiction). They also feature work for sale by local artists and offer private events. Here is also where you can buy audio books via libro.fm. Clearly, Ottavia has fun coming up with new drinks to highlight some of the events. To celebrate Kafka’s 100 anniversary in June, she devised a drink called The Metamorphosis. Earlier, for a Romeo and Juliet event, she concocted a drink called Poison.
2019 TWENTY STORIES BOOKSTORE, once at 107 Ives Street, now operating on weekends out of a 1987 Chevy van meandering around Providence and on Tuesday evenings at Glou, 134 Ives Street. Stay tuned for their new location.
Alexa Trembly and Emory Harkins, both young writers, had an unusual idea in 2017 while they were living in Los Angeles: to start a bookstore that would curate twenty new adult and children’s fiction, non-fiction and poetry books a month from both emerging and established authors. Not only did they reduce the clutter of standard bookstores, they also brought the books to readers via their vintage bookmobile. Their story has been aired on PBS and on the Today Show. They relocated to Providence and in 2019 they opened a shop on Ives Street. That store closed in August, after a successful run of five years. They have also created a bar named Glou at 134 Ives Street, where they will be offering their full-scale selections every Tuesday from 4-10 p.m. until they find a new permanent location. Glou is also where their monthly book club will continue to meet. They will continue to sell books online as well. Alexa attributes part of their entrepreneurial success to her participation in a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program in 2021. The classes are taught in the Warwick Campus of the Community College of Rhode Island.
2022 HEARTLEAF BOOKS, 374 Atwells Avenue, T: 401 477 2294
According to its website, Heartleaf Books is “Rhode Island’s only employee-owned, queer/trans owned, cooperative, cat-managed bookstore.” Another claim is that it is the first ever bookstore in Federal Hill. Long-time residents come in saying “I never thought I would see a bookstore here.” The store is the brainchild of two sisters, Caroline and Mads Vericker, both of whom had extensive experience in libraries. Caroline had worked in Franklin, Massachusetts’ public library, and Mads has worked in all of Brown University’s libraries. Caroline said that their aim was “to create a sense of community.” A recent comment from a local resident seems to attest to the success of that aim. Brian Bayles, who lives nearby, came in with his out-of-town guest Abby. “This is one of the places that I always bring visitors,” he said.
Caroline and Mads opened the store in September 2022 after a year of selling mostly used books on a pop-up basis at local markets. They were able to secure this location with the help of the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast and their coop members, who now number 400. They are steered by their readers and by a seven-member Board of Directors. They offer several levels of membership (from $25 – $500), all of which include various benefits, including a 7-10 per cent discount on new books. To ensure that their store is accessible to all, they also offer a sliding scale membership.
Their stock of 2,500 new and used books includes adult fiction and non-fiction, as well as books for children and young adults. The store also sells art prints and stickers. They also host a book club and offer the purchase of audio books from Libro.fm. The colorful wallpaper at the back of the store gives the sunny room a homey feeling. That’s in sharp contrast to a dramatic scene that played out here in the 1960s when it was the site of the Korner Kitchen Restaurant. Willie Marfeo, a bookie who was involved with the Mafia, was shot here in 1966 in a phone booth that was next to the front door. The celebrated Providence mob boss Raymond Patriarca was indicted the following year for his murder. Today Penny, a Russian Blue cat, presides over a much calmer scene, greeting readers as they enter. She’ll be very busy soon, as one-third of the store’s revenues are generated between November and January.
University Bookstores in Providence
BROWN BOOKSTORE, 244 Thayer Street
RISD BOOKSTORE, 30 North Main Street
JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE, 3O Chestnut Street
PROVIDENCE COLLEGE BOOKSTORE, 1 Cunningham Square
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE BOOKSTORE, 600 Mt. Pleasant Avenue, North Providence
Lynn Holstein: A long-term interest in the Middle East led Lynn Holstein to earn a degree in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard. Between 2000 and 2004, she managed a peace initiative in Israel (which was, alas, unsuccessful) and then worked on various programs to foster coexistence and cooperation between Jews and Arabs. She has also held administrative positions here in the U.S. at institutions such as Harvard, The New York Zoological Society and The Jewish Museum. She is the author of Artisans of Israel: Transcending Tradition and the editor of Stef Wertheimer’s autobiography, The Habit of Labor. Since 2004, she has resided in Providence, reveling in the close proximity of two of her three children and four of her six grandchildren.
