Page 16 - Vallejo_Chamber_of_Commerce_Magazine_Winter_2019

Alibi Alibi Bookshop also has a monthly book for a sturdy foundation that promotes its money goes to a small business in Vallejo
Bookshop
What it means to support our
local bookshop
By James Quinn
e have more exciting news—for those
of you who may not know yet, Vallejo
now has an independent bookshop
Wagain—Alibi Bookshop, named after the
historic Alibi Clock on Georgia Street. Owners
Karen Finlay and her husband Jon Burchard
came to Vallejo from Oakland. On June 1, they
officially opened the new shop’s doors at 624 Marin
Street, the same downtown address where Vallejo
Bookstore was.
“When the owner, Shannon, asked if we wanted to take over, we said yes,”
Finlay said. While many Vallejoans were saddened to see Vallejo Bookstore
close, it is great news to now have another bookstore in its place. “We
remodeled it, we got new fixtures, new stock,” Finlay went on to say, “and
we are so happy to be here.”
Alibi Bookshop is a used and new, independent, general-interest bookstore,
where its owners are readily available to answer questions and accommodate
you. “We have mostly used books,” Finlay said, “but we can [special] order
any new books and hard-to-find, out-of-print … we also order our favorites
and classics in that people would like and that we could recommend.” To make
it easier to navigate, the couple divided their shop by genre (e.g. children’s
section, fantasy, non-fiction, etc.). Burchard added that they have “a lot of
new releases” as well, which tend to be at the front of the store.
What I particularly enjoyed seeing—apart from the Halloween decorations
and (from a teacher’s and reader’s bias) all other books—were the books about
Vallejo’s rich history on display, such as Mel Orpilla’s Filipinos in Vallejo and
Brendan Riley’s Lower Georgia Street-California’s Forgotten Barbary Coast, as well
as Alibi Bookshop’s many community events.
“We have some terrific events coming up,” Finlay said. “We have Mel Orpilla,
who wrote Filipinos in Vallejo,” which was on Sunday, October 20th as part of
celebrating Filipino American History Month. Also in October, they planned
to have another author come in, Ora North, for the release party for her
book I Don’t Want to Be an Empath Anymore. “She [North] is kind of witchy
and fun, so it’s a really good Halloween thing,” Finlay said.
14 Winter www.vallejochamber.com
club, which is a great opportunity to growth in a healthy direction—which the that then goes back into our community
get involved with the community while bookshop and its events reflect.
rather than a major online retailer that is
making new friends and gaining new
beyond rich (one comes to mind that we
perspectives, among other great things. A bookstore adds to historic downtown’s know too well). Burchard commented, “If
“We have had two so far—and they have nostalgia, reminiscent of a time when you buy here, a good portion of that goes
downtown was especially into the community.” Sales tax revenue
full of small businesses helps our city, and “people want Vallejo
and foot traffic. This to get better,” Finlay added, “but a lot of
kind of momentum is people do not know how, and one of the
currently happening all first ways to do that is to shop locally.”
over Vallejo with small
businesses opening up and Buying at Alibi Bookshop is for a great
supporting each other, cause, and it could help set the ball rolling
and with community to seeing more independent bookshops
events like the Farmer’s open up. So let’s band together to help
Market and Art Walk independent bookstores make a comeback
(only to name a couple) by shopping at Alibi Bookshop today.
been fantastic, just wonderful,” Finlay that get more people involved and about
said, before telling me about what book town. “The community of merchants is Visit Alibi Bookshop on 624 Marin Street,
they chose for their first and why: “Our just terrific—we love our customers so Vallejo, or call them at (707) 563-5179,
first book was American Gods, and the much, and we already feel like a big part where they will be happy to help and give
reason was because when Shannon asked of the community,” Finlay said. additional information. The bookstore is
us if we wanted to open the bookstore, we
[Finlay and her husband] kept thinking
of a line from this book by Neil Gaiman.”
That line is “A town isn’t a town without
a bookstore,” which serves as Alibi
Bookshop’s sort of motto, reminding us
that a bookstore is a crucial part of a city.
Gaiman’s quotation continues, saying, “It
may call itself a town, but unless it’s got a
bookstore, it knows it’s not foolin’ a soul.”
By doing what bookstores do best—
fostering creativity, bringing us a book
club, and hosting events—Alibi Bookshop
has already enhanced our community Because Alibi Bookshop serves the open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m.
in less than a year. They will continue community by bringing people together to 7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and
to have regular book signings, promote at a welcoming, safe haven that promotes Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the
literacy to the youth with “Story Time” literacy and keeps it alive by convening Art Walk (second Friday of each month),
(teachers, tell your students) that is in line both authors and readers of all ages, it they are open until 10 p.m. Follow them
with each month’s theme (Halloween for is already a staple for Vallejo that will online by “liking” their Facebook page:
October, Thanksgiving for November, become an anchor that we do not want facebook.com/alibibookshop.
holidays for December, and so forth), and to lose.
they have more plans in the works. Finlay
said, “We did not want Vallejo to be a Living in an era within a strong digital,
town without a bookstore.” global marketplace, we have convenience
at our fingertips where we know we can
Alibi Bookshop takes what it means get books more easily and cheaper—
to be a town’s bookstore a step further some may even think bookstores are
by being, what Burchard describes, “a “old school”—I get it. However, the
general interest bookstore,” meaning tradeoff is huge because not only does
that it is receptive to what the people shopping for books online mean losing
of the city want. That idea, including face-to-face interaction, but it also means
the community, is so great because the supporting a corporate chain. Put simply:
community is the heartbeat of Vallejo— if you support the local bookstore—even
many are from diverse backgrounds, yet if that means paying just a little more—
the city brings them together to make you support our community because that