Indy Bookstore Brings New Life To Edgewood

Middle-schoolers Janeska and Makayla have found a new neighborhood hangout spot — and a new hobby, reading — inside Edgewood’s Possible Futures.

The two were among the dozens of neighbors and supporters who showed up Wednesday afternoon for an official opening gathering at the storefront operation, which is a cross between a community reading room and independent bookstore. 

Lauren Anderson, who lives in the neighborhood, opened the store in a renovated space at the corner of Edgewood Avenue and Hotchkiss Street — returning communal activity and books to a vacant spot that, decades ago, served as a neighborhood public library branch.

The event was hosted by Anderson for the community to discover a future in a love for reading. In the weeks prior to Wednesday’s official opening, neighbors like Janeska and Makayla had already made a practice of hanging out in the space and became regulars.

The shop’s collection of art, adult and children’s books, and goods is predominantly made up of works by historically underrepresented authors and/or about social justice topics. 

At the Wednesday open house, fifth-grader Makayla, 10, said her favorite part about the shop is that it’s open to the LGBTQ community. Eighth grader Janeska, 13, said she likes how everyone is welcoming and ​“they talk to you here like they care.” The best friends call themselves the ​“Sugar Squad,” after the canine who spends its days with owner Anderson in the shop.

The duo agreed they didn’t read much before the shop opened next door to their home on Hotchkiss Street. Now they do.

“I like reading here because a lot of the books are unique,” Makayla said.

Visitors at Wednesday’s event sampled catered noshes from Havenly Food and mocktails from Bloom. They browsed shelves stocked with books on subjects ranging from gender identity, cooking, and sexuality to climate change, education, poetry, and art. Some proceeded to the register with two hands full of books to purchase. 

The walls are decorated with children’s drawings, inspirational quotes, faces of historic leaders, plants, works by community artists, and rainbow pride flags. An indoor support post was marked with the growing heights of local kids.

The entrance of the shop welcomes visitors with a sitting space for reading, conversations, working on computers, or simply hanging out on the couches or dining tables. 

Anderson walked community members over to shelves as they asked for particular book titles or genres. 

The spot was previously vacant. Echoing one of the spot’s previous incarnations, the words ​“Chapel on Edgewood Public Library” are painted over in black paint outside the shop, but visible if you look hard enough. The branch library closed three decades ago. A more recent tenant was Miracle Temple Church of God.

Anderson searched dozens of vacant spots citywide before coming across the 318 Edgewood Ave. spot in January. 

Despite the building’s neglect, Anderson saw her vision in the spot, which ​“feels like home” and is accessible to the neighborhood. 

The landlord replaced the ceiling and flooring. Anderson needed to go through a lengthy zoning variance process. 

Most of the shop’s furniture and decorations were donated or are rehabilitated free items Anderson found around town. These past months Anderson received help from neighbors and friends with stocking the bookshelves and creating art works on the outside and inside of the space. 

Visitors at the open house described the shop as magical, beautiful, supportive, safe, energetic, and stimulating.

Anderson said she looks forward to collaborating with the community on business pop-ups, conversations with teachers and students, book clubs, open mics, and other community events. Possible Futures also plans to participate in this year’s Elm City Lit Festival. 

Mary Bunn-Granda brought her grandchildren Jaylin Cherry, Lei’Lani Diaz, and Dallas Norris to the open house. She works as a supervisor at neighborhood laundromat Coin-op Laundry next door and has lived in the neighborhood for the past 15 years. 

“I love her being here. The ambiance is so nice,” Bunn-Granda said. ​“The books here give my grandkids the history of their lives.”

She said the shop has become a space for her kids not only to read but to play with their peers in an area stocked with Legos, blocks, and games. Jaylin said he loves the shop’s selection of comic books. 

Anne Rhodes, mother of 8‑year old Florian (pictured above at far right), said Anderson and Possible Futures have helped her and her husband fill their home library with books that help their family to have intentional conversations about topics like social and racial justice. 

A favorite book for Anne and Florian is Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice. 

“So many of the books here have given us a way to have conversations with him that we really need to have,” Rhodes said. 

Elm City Lit Fest founder IfeMichelle Gardin noted that Anderson has ​“transformed” a once-dilapidated boarded up building taken over by drug dealing, where people with drug addictions in the neighborhood would sometimes use or overdose in the alley.

Prior to Anderson winning zoning relief to open her bookstore, the spot was zoned for a convenience or liquor store. ​“We don’t need anymore liquor shops or corner stores,” Gardin said. ​“This is what we need.” 

Gardin was one of many who helped Anderson set up shop in recent months. During that process, they convinced neighborhood residents to agree to send their children to the bookstore. 

“Kids are now safe and comfortable on the corner that was taken over for so long,” Gardin said. 

A book fund for the shop is in the works to cover purchases by customers who live in the neighborhood. The idea came about from Babz Rawls Ivy, editor-in-chief of The Inner-City News and host of the daily WNNH FM radio show​“LoveBabz LoveTalk.” The trio’s effort will help support Edgewood neighbors by covering book cost for those in need. 

“Everyone can see that there’s a future for them here,” Gardin said. ​“And it sets an example for the possibilities that transformation like this is possible anywhere.” 

While searching the shop’s shelves, 13-year-old Mikayla Locke, an eighth grader at Elm City Montessori School, was drawn to the cover of From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks.

For weeks Mikayla has been hearing about the shop from her mom and couldn’t wait for it to open. ​“I like books with a main character that have an interesting story and have a cover that calls out to me,” she said. She said she plans to come to the space throughout the school year to do her homework.

Lauren Javier-Jones, mother of 3‑year-old Isla, heard that Possible Futures is the place to be from her mother-in-law, whom her daughters calls Nana. Nana, better known as Sheri Richard, has been visiting the shop nearly daily for weeks. 

A love for Anderson’s dog Sugar keeps Isla coming back along with her love for reading. 

Javier-Jones has been reading to Isla since she was in the womb. The duo have set a goal to read 1,000 books before Isla gets to kindergarten. So far they have read about 550, they reported. 

Before the Covid pandemic hit, Javier-Jones and her family were living in Saint Croix. ​“Where we lived there wasn’t a library at all there,” she said. 

Over the years Isla has grown to ask more questions, enhanced her vocabulary, and become more inquisitive from reading, Javier-Jones said. 

“Books give you a window into so many perspectives,” she said. 

In parting advice, Javier-Jones reminded guardians looking to instill a love for reading in their youth to not be controlling during reading time. ​“Engagement is more important than how it’s done,” she said. ​“Sometimes that looks like skipping a page or only talking about the pictures, and that’s OK” and not ​“worth fighting.”