Carolyn Anderson, manager of Birchbark Books, Minneapolis, Minn., and bookseller Anthony Ceballos were interviewed by Cynsational about their work and offered joint responses. Among our favorite exchanges:
Given Birchbark Books' proximity to the Mall of America, I love the quote on the store's website: "As the malling of America continues, it is our mission to be other." How best do you feel Birchbark Books achieves being other?
Birchbark Books thrives on maintaining the connection between books and readers in a way you won't find in large corporate retailers. I think one of the joys for people shopping at our bookstore is that feeling when someone takes a book off the shelf, feels the weight of it in their hands, reads the description and instantly knows it is a book for them.
There's a spiritual connection that happens in a way it doesn't with corporate-owned bookstores and definitely not on websites like Amazon, which I think deprive people of interaction with books not just as products to buy, but as works of art.
When you walk into Birchbark, you can immediately tell it's an independently-owned shop.
The atmosphere is cozy, the staff is friendly, and it just has an energy that says we are an independent bookstore. It's hard to describe, but when you feel it you feel it.
The "malling" of America creates cold, fluorescent spaces where people are buyers and items are items. Birchbark Books will never be one of those places.
We are owned by a Native author and specialize in books and art by Native artists and authors.
Despite being the first peoples of this land, we have constantly been marginalized, and constantly seen as "other." In many ways, being "other" in a corporate world is a stand against colonialism. We are here. We are not going away. We are not standing down in the face of things like Amazon. It isn't always easy, but we do it and will continue to do it.
What do you enjoy most and what is challenging about operating the bookstore?
Working among books in a beautiful and soulful environment is the most pleasurable aspect of the job for sure. The other best part is our customers are so kind and so happy to be in the bookstore--it is very rare to run across someone in a bad mood.
One of our positive attributes can also be one of the most challenging aspects of the job. We are about 800 square feet, and we process online orders and large orders from tribes and schools all year long, so sometimes the space starts to feel a little too tight.