Chiara Arroyo and Celine Navarrete, who bonded over their respective children being in the same Edison class over a decade ago, recently opened the 4,400-square foot LA Librería in the heart of West Adams. The space has become Los Angeles’ top Spanish-language children’s bookstore, born out of a small online endeavor started by the duo in 2012.
The mothers found themselves volunteering at an Edison book fair, and quickly became displeased on the selection brought in by the vendors.
"We both are book lovers … but the Spanish selection was very limited, and we were disappointed, because we thought, okay, this is a dual-immersion school," Arroyo said. "Spanish should be as important as English. The books in Spanish [were] very few, and also [had] mistakes and stereotypes."
Navarrete was similarly "shocked" at the lack of books available, with a lack of quality translations, particularly in a place rich in Spanish culture.
"As you can imagine, in a city like Los Angeles, we thought that the offering (would) be much, much better … so that’s how we met, and that’s how our idea of bringing books from Latin America and Spain came to our mind, after we saw that," Navarrete said.
The two began organizing at other book fairs before interest from families in different cities led to the launch of an online store. Eventually, the project became a physical space in West Adams, as the duo wanted to keep a central Los Angeles location.
At the updated West Adams spot at 4752 1/2 W. Adams Blvd., a collection of 8,000 titles has been amassed from over 20 countries. The duo doesn’t work on consignment like other bookstores, meaning they have "one shot" to sell their wares. The goal, they said, is to have a "live collection" always updated from new selections coming from Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile, Columbia and more.
"You actually can celebrate the richness of all these communities that in the United States fall under the ‘Latino’ category … in every country, there are so many communities and different cultures and even sometimes, different languages …. We try to celebrate that [and] make it proud, so our family that comes from a specific country can find [themselves] in the books," Arroyo said.
Arroyo added that books work both as a mirror to yourself, especially for the children’s audience, but also works as a "window to other countries you don’t know." Last month’s opening of the new LA Librería was attended by upwards of 300 people, something Arroyo says is brought from "the mindset change that we have seen people" make regarding "the importance of bilingualism" and knowing other languages.
"The more languages you know, the better you understand the world, the better you have a better curriculum to find a job," she said.
For more information on the bookstore, visit www.la-libreria.net
thomas@smdp.com
