Quade Books, an independent bookstore in Argentina, opened its first U.S. location last month, in the Aventura Mall at NE 195th Street and Biscayne Blvd., Aventura, Fla. The Miami Herald reported that the store "fits right into bilingual Miami, offering a robust selection of adult and children's books both in English and in Spanish."
Quade launched its original store in Cordoba, Argentina, in 2007, adding three more locations over the years. The Aventura store is the first in the U.S., "but not the last," according to co-owners Evangelina Montiel and Jorge Caparelli.
"To be in the bookselling business, you have to be a little crazy," Caparelli said. "This is not business. This is culture."
Noting that the bookshop is "tucked into a corner of the Aventura Mall," the Herald wrote that Quade Books features a wide, floor-to-ceiling opening that "beckons customers into the shop. The store is small but spacious, brightly lit, with high ceilings and an open-floor plan. The walls and tables look papered with books, their multi-colored covers facing out, giving the store a candy-shop-like vibrancy."
Montiel and Caparelli aim to curate a bilingual collection specifically for their new store, focusing on titles that are difficult to find in the U.S. Montiel said they aren't afraid to stock popular works. The left side of the shop is dedicated to children's books, many of them designed to teach Spanish- or English-language skills. "It's important to have a big children's section in all our stores," said Montiel.
The owners have visited Miami regularly for a long time, and began to consider opening a bookstore there about three years ago. The goal was to have a shop that was similar to their locations in Argentina, but "adapted to the profile of this city, where cultural diversity and bilingualism are the norms," Montiel said. Aventura Mall was chosen for their first U.S. location because of "its high foot traffic, convenient location, and appreciation for culture."
She added that the most frequent comment she hears from her Aventura customers is "thank you."