With a growing number of independent book store locations in the country, Bel Canto Books has found a way to explore those located in Southern California—by hosting field trips.
The “Indie Book Store Field Trip” idea was brought to Jhoanna Belfer, owner of Bel Canto, by local author Christy Krumm Richard at the beginning of 2022. She was inspired by publisher Zibby Books, whose #22in22 challenge encourages readers to visit at least 22 independent book stores this year.
“[It’s] to support independent stores and also just to get excited about your neighborhood and then get excited about reading again,” Belfer said.
On Feb. 26, Bel Canto hosted its first trip, which saw 30 participants traveling to women-owned book stores Village Well Books and The Ripped Bodice in Culver City.
As Belfer stood outside the book shops to welcome attendees, she realized that the group was comprised of either book-loving friends or people who were new to LA and were looking to “find community” and explore their neighborhood.
“Folks loved it,” Belfer said. “They had so much fun and really appreciated being able to meet other book lovers.”
Belfer hopes to gather the literary social club to visit at least one or two book shops per month. The next field trip will take place on Saturday, March 26 at Black-owned book stores Eso Won Books in Leimert Park and The Salt Eaters in Inglewood.
According to market and consumer data company Statista, as of 2020, 1,700 independent book selling companies were running 4,100 independent book store locations in the nation, compared to 2,524 locations the year before.
The book shops that will be part of the upcoming field trips in SoCal were chosen by Belfer and Krumm Richard and will be a mix of established shops and newer book stores—including those owned by Black, Indigenous and people of color.
Bel Canto Books launches Read AAPI Book Club on social reading app
Wanting to highlight Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) authors and stories, Belfer also launched the Read AAPI Book Club on social reading app Fable in February.
“This year we’ll be diving into books of fiction and nonfiction by writers across the Asian diaspora that offer us a rich and complicated view of what it means to be Asian American,” Belfer, who is Filipina-American, said in an Instagram post.
Belfer was approached to launch on the reading app after being part of a virtual bookstore conference where she met Jason Boog, part of the editorial team at Fable.
Belfer was inspired by actress Emma Thompson’s “The Social Book Club,” where not only books are highlighted, but book stores as well—something Fable offered to do.
The app can be downloaded to a phone, where readers can purchase e-books and subsequently share thoughts and reactions with other readers. The book club hosts a discussion over Zoom the last Tuesday of the month.
For the month of March, the book club is reading The Leavers by Lisa Ko, a novel that takes place in both New York and China and addresses social justice issues, according to the Bel Canto website.
“It’s a labor of love, I am a lifelong reader and lifelong lover of bookstores,” Belfer said.
To sign up for upcoming book store field trips, visit https://belcantobooks.net/events. To keep up with Bel Canto, follow them on Instagram at @belcantobooks.
