Major Minor Books & Such Builds Community One Story at a Time
It’s ingeniously in the name: Major Minor Books & Such. Owner Amber Walker knew she wanted to uplift minority voices with her family-owned bookstore and made this very mission the subtle theme of the shop. “I think that there are major stories that come from all over the world – not just here in the States and not just by any particular demographic,” Walker explained.
“In creating Major Minor, we wanted to do something that really gave a lens to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) authors.”
“Oftentimes when you’re going to the bigger box retailers, you aren’t getting that variety, or at least not equally getting that variety. We wanted to create a space that had content for everybody. Because of this, our tagline is ‘Major stories and minor details’. When you think about our world in general, the words ‘major’ and ‘minor’ play roles in all types of spaces, whether we’re talking higher education, musicality, or stories. So it was kind of a fun way to play on words in order to incorporate all of that into our atmosphere.”
She then clarified the “& Such” part of the store’s title. “I didn’t want to limit us to just books, and this allows us to do so many more things. So while our store is a bookstore, we do host other events there as well, and I’m hoping to include a couple of musically-inclined things as well. Who knows what we might do in the future!”
The bookshop opened just this year in the beginning of May and has already had a full calendar of such events since. Local author book signings, book launches and local book club meetings have been in the majority, and Walker mentions one of her favorite experiences.
“We had Princess Tiana come in and read stories, which was a really big hit amongst the littles. That just makes me so excited because they are a group of future readers,” Walker gushes. “And at the young, young ages that these kids were, they were saying, ‘Can Princess Tiana sign my book?’ That’s the sign of a real reader, when you want a signed copy! So I just love being able to provide that additional level of interaction and community.”
Those two words were what inspired Walker to open her haven in the first place. An interior designer by day, she just couldn’t shake the love of books that she had nurtured since childhood. With her mother being an avid reader as well, Walker felt a bookstore would not only deepen that shared bond but also start new acquaintances with others like her.
“In opening this bookstore, I felt like this was a great way to connect with other people like me, and a great way for my mother to connect with other people like her since she’s no longer in the workforce,” Walker says. “I love that we have this bookstore. I love everything that we have provided to the community. I love it all. But I think the biggest joy for me for me has been watching my mother really get reintegrated into the community. She’s only at the shop on certain days, but she calls me on mornings she doesn’t work to see if I need her to come in. She texted me every evening to see how things went during the day. She absolutely loves being at the store so much. So the best part has been just watching it breathe a different life into her,” Walker recounts.
“Besides that, I really wanted to create a space at a time where words matter, where history is being deleted, where people are being censored. It's important to keep those stories and those histories alive.”
This same ideal echoed within the owner on a personal level. “In some ways, it was a risky time to open a bookstore. But I think those of us who aren’t taking some level of action are sitting by and letting history rewrite itself. So I wanted to make sure that we had a space where you can continue to receive those stories and hear the cultural elements of our country and the things that have made us great and not so great,” she said.
A short time frame was all it took to set things in motion. After a talk with her family about the importance of spaces like these, as well as a couple of tours at other independent shops, the bookstore was greenlit in January of this year. In March, the keys were in hand and Walker’s interior design experience came in handy to create a warm, welcoming space.
“We wanted visitors to feel like they were in our home, simply looking for a book and hanging out with friends,” she expresses. “The palette is very warm and inviting and we typically have fragrances going as you walk through. A couple of sofas and independent lounge chairs exist in this space, but we also have a cafe space in the back to allow for larger groups.
“In addition to selling books, we have candles, room sprays, coffee mugs and bookmarks, and we have greeting cards, bags and all these other wonderful things made by local artists. We’ve also got a community pantry in our store to drop things off for somebody else who needs it, take what you need, or leave what you don’t. It’s so important for us to receive and give back.”
One of the last sections of the shop to come to life was influenced by her family’s reading material. “My sons are manga readers. They were like, ‘Mom, how can you have a bookstore and not have manga?’ So now we’ve launched the section. We’ve got things like Jujutsu Kaisen, Blue Lock, Gachiakuta, Chainsaw Man and Attack on Titan.” Walker laughs, “They’ve been picking out their favorites and helping with the store selection!”
Though this shop has been a dream come true for her, Walker also was surprised at how positively it has affected her family. “It is not often that you find a job that you love that doesn’t feel like work, right? I was lucky enough to have two things that don’t feel like work to me. And I can’t walk away from the fact that my husband and family have been so supportive. He’s been so participatory in this adventure when this is a lot for a non-reader to even digest. Now he’s even been reading books and recently finished The Alchemist! That’s the goal of a bookstore, is to get people to read, and it’s amazing to see.”
The finishing touch on Major Minor is a quote sprawling across the awning to the cafe. Walker says, “I had it painted by a calligrapher friend. It reads, ‘Your world is only as small as you make it.’ And I feel like that is the point of this store.”
This in turn evoked an interactive aspect as well. When you walk in, the vestibule is covered with quotes. All are handwritten by customers, quotes from their favorite authors that have resonated with them over time. Walker comments, “We keep a pen out there for people to write on the wall if they’re inspired. It’s so impactful when people walk in and they kind of discover what everybody else is feeling, reading, gravitating towards.
“I have watched people stand there for 10 minutes just reading quotes on the walls and then adding one themselves. And it has been phenomenal because from the moment you walk in, you feel like you are a true part of this experience and adding to the store’s legacy,” she says.
Major Minor Books & Such is open Wednesday through Sunday. For a list of their hours and more information or to shop online, you can visit their website.
