#independent-bookstore

#independent-bookstore

Outside, the Alabama Booksmith is so unassuming it's as if Reiss had forgotten that he was running a retail business: a two-story, nearly windowless structure, surrounded by office parks and parking lots, on a dead-end street in a suburb of Birmingham. Inside, the vibe is half 1970, half 1870, with wood panelling, rattan chairs, and a drop-tile ceiling-but also patterned tablecloths, cozy curtains, a functioning fireplace, and an oversized hourglass.

"I went to Wordstock in 2005 when it was still Wordstock, and I felt like I had walked into the world I should have been in my whole life," Emmerling said, referring to what is now called the Portland Book Festival. It wasn't long after that Emmerling and her husband, John, a blacksmith, were delivering a fireplace he'd crafted. When they drove by a bookstore, Emmerling recalled, "I said, 'You know, when we retire, it would be fun to open a bookstore.'"

Willa Robinson's passion for reading began in childhood, inspired by her father. She has collected Black literature since the late 1970s, seeing it as a way to fill personal loss.

Jackson Tejada, at age 28, reflects on his childhood experiences at Christopher's Books, where he can view his parents' past purchases, creating a connection to his literary roots.