The Canio's Books Blog

What makes a good bookstore? An interesting collection of books, hand-selected by knowledgeable and friendly staff. A welcoming, comfortable space, with maybe a bit of history built in, a sense of rootedness in a place. Yes, all these elements comprise Canio’s Books. Then factor in our eclectic series of weekend events, writers, poets, musicians and artists sharing their talents with us. But who is this “us”? It’s you, dear reader and all your friends and neighbors who care about sustaining a place for art, culture and literature to thrive. Yes, it takes a village to make a bookshop. See Peter Applebome’s essay in the Sunday, New York Times, “Who Killed This Bookstore? There Are Lots of Suspects” about the demise of a 37-year-old establishment, Second Story Book Shop in Chappaqua, New York. We’ve read too often about the demise of this or that beloved bookshop. Rents go up. Ugly chain stores move in. Customers scrounge for bargains on line, then bemoan the loss of their neighborhood shop, the loss of community. And realize, too late, that they, we, are part of the community we help create or abandon. Here is another wake-up call.
Be a part of the bookshop you want to see in your community. In our case, we’re creating a direct route for community involvement in Canio’s Books. We have formed a non-profit entity, Canio’s Cultural Cafe, Ltd. to make it possible for us to continue to develop new programs at the bookshop and at other locations. We hope to make it easy for our supporters to become part of sustaining the cultural capital of our unique community. Your tax deductible contribution to Canio’s Culture Cafe will help underwrite new workshops, seminars and other events of literary, educational and cultural interest. Please consider becoming a regular patron of Canio’s Cultural Cafe with a donation today. And meanwhile, stop in for something delicious to read.