Stories Books & Cafes

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Joined 10 years ago

It's all in the name: This bookstore, cafe and gift shop is the new spot for Eastside bibliophiles.. In Short
New and used books find their way to the shelves of this bookstore and cafe in rehabbed style. Brick walls, wood plank shelving with red accents and elevated rafters don't necessarily win any awards for style, but this is Echo Park after all, a place where well-worn more than works. Praise goes to the shop's owners for creatively cramming as much seating into the small space--without cluttering it. Sure, you can buy stuff--everything from the latest best-sellers to Los Angeles history tomes and a copy of "The Great Gatsby" that's surely traded hands over the years--but Liz Garo and business partner Claudia Colodro have created a space that we might also want to hang out in. The front of the store, with giant picture windows and lopsided pillows, fills up with the laptop-toting, latte-sipping kids from the neighborhood. There's also low cushioned chairs in the midst of the bookshelves and a high bar in back where starving artists can order grilled cheese and other sandwiches, cups of soup, bagels, muffins or pastries while scoping out a fine selection of unique letterpress cards and journals.