Raven and Pines Bookstore hosted its grand opening celebration on Independent Bookstore Day at 40044 Highway 49, Ste. B1, in Oakhurst, Calif. Sierra News Online reported that the bookshop, owned by mother-daughter duo Cherri Loll and Jessica Loll, carries a variety of genres, including fantasy, sci-fi, self-help, true crime, biographies and romance, among others. It also features a local-interest section, covering hiking trails and the history of Yosemite.
"We have lots of plans for different types of events, like we want to have craft nights, trivia, music, games, puzzle night, stuff like that. We're also going to be having a story time for the kids in the mornings," said Jessica Loll.
She also stressed the importance of making books locally accessible: "That experience, walking into a bookstore and being able to browse and see things that you probably wouldn't have been shown by [an online] algorithm is really powerful. It can help expand people's reading selection and what information is being presented and available to them."
Loll noted the store can help children feel excited about reading, while providing accessible options to improve their ability: "Young readers who are maybe hesitant to [read] a big chapter book might be drawn into [graphic novels] and then become more interested in reading."
Ultimately, she wants to find "what the community is really interested in. We really want to establish our events and our community offerings. So finding what those areas are of public interest, and trying to bring those into the community and creating those inviting spaces."