Sonoma County's indie bookstores promote literacy, sharing of ideas

North Bay booksellers say despite years of hard times for independent bookstores, they stay open thanks to the support of readers who come through their doors for new and used books and a shared love of the written word.

For Independent Bookstore Day on April 25, organized by The American Library Association to celebrate local booksellers, Sonoma shop owners said they are seeing a resurgence of interest in reading.

That resurgence can be seen in Sebastopol, at Second Chances Used Books, where customers crowd a cozy space filled with used paperbacks.

Owner Brandy Mow is usually at the counter, having run the store since 2017. She says the small space is ideal for quiet browsing as well as passionate conversation, and customers may spend an hour reading or sharing opinions.

"There is a reading community here, people who really want books," Mow said. "It is not easy, it basically pays my rent. But it is making enough to keep itself going, and that is entirely coming from the loyalty and interest in books from this particular community."

Sebastopol is lucky among North Bay cities, she said, to have three independent bookstores. Copperfield's Books has expanded to multiple locations across the county, each with a unique style. It's been a known name for decades, providing a wide selection of general interest new and used titles.

Santa Rosa's Montgomery Village shop manager Jesse Moore said Copperfield's draws people from all over the state. Part of his job is working with children, encouraging them with book recommendations as they grow up.

"It's the gift of being able to share books with a kid looking for a board book, and then 10 years later helping them find a chapter book, and seeing that growth and progress and remaining close to the wonderful families," Moore said.

Another well-known name in Santa Rosa, Treehorn Books, has drawn customers for decades on its reputation and premise. Manager Grant Hotaling said it has always offered a wide selection of used as well as out-of-print, collectible, signed and precious books since 1979.

"Books change, but the way we run our business is pretty much the same," Hotaling said. "We're one of the last of our kind in Northern California. There used to be tons 30, 40 years ago, so people seek us out."

As his space is packed with as many books as can fit, Hotaling said the store has never relied on events for foot traffic: "I think people seek us out anyway."

Being a trusted space has also served Readers' Books in Sonoma for 35 years, co-owner Rosie Lee-Parks said. She grew up with the bookstore before working at it for 12 years.

"It's a very open and safe place to me," Lee-Parks said, which she added has kept people returning through many local crises. She said even when customers may struggle these days with affording books, the store tries to help them find what they need with a personal touch beyond what "big box stores" can do.

However, the struggle to make a profit has pushed several stores to try a different business model. Sonoma County's oldest bookstore Paperbacks Unlimited Inc., opened in 1972 by Jill and Howard Brown, allows people to trade in their books and get credit. This has sustained the store's inventory of more than 100,000 used books, according to the Browns' daughter Heather Thurber, who became co-owner in the '90s.

Thurber, who is also a real estate broker associate at Vanguard Properties, said beyond the unique inventory model, "It's about community. Some have been coming in for years and always see people they know, and know all the employees."

Sonoma Curated Books in Rohnert Park opened in December under co-owners Danise and Ed Mueller under a different model – its inventory is curated through their estate liquidation business Sonoma County Sales. The store also custom-orders a small number of new books from publishers, she said.

"Over the years, we have collected thousands of books – most of which are not valued highly enough to be listed online but still hold intrinsic value for a bookstore," Danise Mueller said. "We were pleasantly surprised to find that customers see value in the books as we do, coming from estates and not going to the landfill. We were also surprised that so many people are wanting to move away from digital books, especially when a subscription is part of it, meaning they don't really own the books."

In Sebastopol, Many Rivers Books & Tea has operated for about 23 years as a nonprofit. Co-managers Grady Kallenbach and Karl Frederick say the store has survived due to "incredibly loyal and dedicated" customers who come for the specialized inventory, focusing on different religious, theology and spiritual topics as well as science, philosophy and special interests. The store also carries many teas and spiritual practice items such as Tibetan prayer flags, incense candles and singing bowls.

Kallenbach said readers also use the store as a meeting place to discuss different theologies and philosophical traditions: "We are energized by customers who prefer to shop in their small, hometown book and tea shop rather than online, and who often call us to see if we have a book they want or can tell them where to find it."

He said the store sees many customers who come to make special orders, preferring to "have a space here around the corner than ordering it from Amazon." And their donations keep the doors open: "It's always been a labor of love. That (fundraising) part is a constant challenge."

Other stores rely on seasonal traffic to their area. Poet's Corner Bookshop has been open in Duncans Mills since 2020, now carrying mostly used books and holding regular events through summer and fall, owner Stephanie Culen said.

However, "Maintaining an independent bookstore in a very small coastal town is extremely challenging," Culen said. The store is small and deals with coastal weather conditions, which can make it difficult to hold events outside.

But, she noted, the locals love it: "Being out here in west county, we don't have a lot of Wi-Fi or online activities, so reading and analog activities are still favorite pastimes. And it has also become known as quite the curated book store that has lots of different genres and titles and classics and sometimes hard-to-find reads."

The love from locals and tourists has also aided Russian River Books & Letters. Owner Michael Rex said the bookshop has become a de facto "visitor center" in Guerneville, being the only independent bookstore since the closure of Twice Told Books.

Rex offers a wide range of literature along with vintage typewriters that customers can use to type poems or letters, inspired by his childhood writing letters to his mother. He said the community is full of people with a love of writing.

"There's a rich history of writers and readers," Rex said. "They're here, the people who live down the street from you, or downtown Sonoma."

Some shops cater specifically to readers with special tastes. Visitors to Petaluma's The Velvet Chapter enter through a door wrapped in velvet to find touches like flowers and burning candles meant to match romance novel characters. Co-owners Matthew and Gabriela Porter said readers are invited to escape into the fantasy and romance genres the shop has focused on since August 2025.

Matthew Porter said both genres are in a "renaissance" of resurging interest these days: "I think us millennials grew up on a lot of nonfiction. And now we're adults working and with families, and we need something to take the edge off." The shop prides itself on various book clubs and rotating weekend get-togethers, and spotlighting local fantasy authors for "delicious escapism."

Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic in Petaluma also offers a specialized selection for lovers of the fantastical, according to co-owner Ross Lockhart. He and wife Jennifer Lockhart opened the shop nearly five years ago after running a publishing company together since 2013.

Lockhart said they dreamed of opening a bookstore for years, offering what he fondly calls "weird fiction," from horror, fantasy and science fiction to children's books and toys.

"It's fun to have someone wander in, and it blows their mind that there is a curated store in the outlet mall," Lockhart said. "We try to have something for everybody, and keep that indie spirit alive."

Booksellers have turned to creative methods of bringing in new customers since the arrival of Amazon, and often have to appeal to their communities on paper-thin budgets through group gatherings to bring in more in-person customers. This pivot came after the pandemic changed the business for years, forcing booksellers to encourage online ordering and make cooperative deals with other industry sites to survive.

"Everybody who survived with their business intact had to rebuild from there," Mow at at Second Chances Used Books said. She blamed Donald Trump's two presidencies and economic policy for hurting small businesses and reducing people's budgets for books.

"It's been a roller coaster from the beginning. And everybody's bracing for disaster right now," Mow said. "I have noticed a definite dip in sales, and I suspect it's going to continue that way for quite some time. It's impressive that any bookstore at this point in history keeps going."

Many stores increased their author reading and book-signing events, and some host unique events, like themed tastings and poetry open mic nights at Russian River Books and Letters and ghost story celebrations at Word Horde. Sonoma Curated Books hosts art classes and a new "books-made-into-films" club.

The booksellers said their stores are also spaces for sharing different viewpoints. Reading and selling books is political, Rex said, adding that Russian River Letters and Books, like its hometown, is a hub for the LGBTQ community and political discussions

Hotaling at Treehorn Books said "We like to feel like we don't censor things, and any book can be found here on any subject." He added while his store is too small for organizing political events, "Protests nearby at the square sometimes bring people who want to come talk about it and then find books about their issue or activism."

Lee-Parks allows her space to invite discussions about local issues, and carries information about local organizing and activism: "We wear our hearts on our sleeves, and we want to make sure it is a safe place for people. That means you have to get political."

Others prefer bookstores to offer safe havens, akin to the comforting paperbacks they carry. Porter said The Velvet Chapter's gatherings provide an escape: "We leave that at the door. This is where you get to go, you get to forget that stuff for a minute and just be free and relax."

However, Lockhart said his shop welcomes the political nature of reading and art, especially within horror, fantasy and science fiction.

"Art is inherently political, art makes a statement … and there are a lot of people out there that are afraid of art," Lockhart said. "Part of being a bookstore is letting people know there's nothing scary about art itself. What it's doing is opening up conversations."

Moore, of Copperfield's, said that community space is needed as he regularly meets people whose local bookstore closed and who have to drive to other towns to find the nearest one.

That's why readers know that when they shop local, Lee-Parks added, "You're not just buying a book, you're helping people who live and work here continue to be here. Shopping at an indie bookstore is about being able to find paths for yourself, and a different selection than you might be able to elsewhere."

Staff Writer Natalie Hanson can be reached at natalie.hanson@pressdemocrat.com or (619) 665-5887.

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