Fantasy or Feasible: Can I Open a Multicultural Bookstore in Spain?

Psst. I have a secret to tell you. I’ve always wanted to open my own bookstore. If you know me in real life or simply as the personality behind this blog, or the host of the My American Meltingpot podcast, this probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise. After all, I love books. But not every writer wants to be a bookstore owner, but I do.

I Dream of Bookstores

Owning a bookstore checks all of my boxes. I’d get to be around books all day long. I’d get to network with authors. I could spend my day chatting with customers about my favorite thing in the world, books. And I would be planning events that centered my loves, books and the people who write them. Of course my bookstore would feature the works of authors of color and stories that explored the multicultural experience. I would carry books for children, teens and adults. I would also have really awesome bookish gifts for the book lovers in our lives, like bookmarks, ink pens and blank-paged journals.

The Booksellers Who Went Before Me

In the 90s when I lived in Brooklyn, I often fantasized about what it would take to rent a storefront and make my dream a reality, but I didn’t have the funding or the business acumen to figure it out. Luckily, there were smarter women than I, who eventually did figure out, and opened shops like Greenlight bookstore on Fulton Avenue. Since living in Philadelphia, I’ve been delighted to experience the opening of several independent bookstores that embody the vision I once had for myself. My local indie bookshop, The Big Blue Marble, even has all the coolest literary tchotchkes a girl could ever want. Of course the fabulously feminist Brooklyn bookstore, Cafe con Libros, is just about the best example of a shop with a mission, a community and awesome books by people of color. Also, the name.

What About a Multicultural Bookstore in Spain?

For a while, this itch to open a bookstore died down, especially as I was able to enjoy the fruits of other bookseller’s labor, but as I start to blow up my life here in the United States and plan for a new life in Spain, that old itch has started to tickle me again. Could I open a bookstore in Spain? Is that the craziest thing you’ve ever heard? Especially because I’d still want to create a multicultural bookstore with titles in English and Spanish. The store would be a gathering place for expats and locals, we’d have author readings and book club gatherings, and I would unapologetically center the works of writers of color. I’d also sell totally lit gifts for bookish folk. Too bad Cafe Con Libros is already taken for a name, right?

Never Say Never

Last year if you’d asked me if I would ever consider opening a brick and mortar bookstore, I would have said, absolutely not, it’s too risky. If you’d asked me if I would move to Spain and open a multicultural bookstore in Andalusia, I would have laughed in your face. But the thing is, once you take one bold and audacious step, there’s nothing to stop you from taking another. I’m not making any promises, but I’m not closing any doors either. These days, I’m all about pushing play on as many of my ideas as possible, because we only get this one life to pack all our dreams into. What’s more, what sounds crazy to one person, has already been done by someone else, so why focus on the crazy person’s opinion, instead of following in the footsteps of the ones who dared to try?

For Now I Can Be a Bookseller Online

In the meantime, I’m keeping my bookstore fantasies alive with my online My American Meltingpot bookstore. Whereas I once only thought about it as a place to showcase the work of the guests on the podcasts and the people I featured on the blog, now I’m looking at it as training wheels for my next adventure. Check it out if you have a chance. If you are currently a bookseller and think I’m crazy for even nurturing this dream, you may keep your negative thoughts to yourself. On the other hand, if you have some wise advice, please share in the comments below. Thank you.

#ILOVEBOOKS