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Nestled in a tiny commercial center off Anaheim Boulevard in its namesake city, Lizzette Barrios-Gracián’s small brick-and-mortar has become a community hub and veritable feast of literary representation and culture.
Inside, the atmosphere is personal. Latin rock legend Gustavo Cerati and alt-music favorites The Cranberries flow from a speaker. Hugs are exchanged at the counter between loyal regulars and Barrios-Gracián.
“This has been my dream for a long time,” says Barrios-Gracián, who was inspired to open a bookstore after the closing of the legendary Librería Martinez Books and Art Gallery – renowned as one of the largest Latino-themed bookstores in the United States, owned by barber-turned-MacArthur “genius grant” winner Rueben Martinez – in Santa Ana. “It was the only place where we could find books in Spanish – at a time when there was not a lot of diversity in what was offered. Librería Martinez was a sanctuary for us, and when they closed down, I remember being heartbroken and thinking, ‘No, I have to do something.’”
But it would take time. Waiting until her kids got older, figuring out funding, and finding the right location.
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