You thought bookstores were a dying breed? A new one just opened in SLO County
Far from being “dead tree editions,” print books are still alive and well, and booksellers are having a moment.
Just ask Taneesha Regez, a proud new business owner in the Village of Arroyo Grande.
Even before she opened the doors of Monarch Books a little over a week ago, she was hearing from her future fan base.
“Can we help?” they asked.
“Can we unpack boxes?” they suggested.
Regez took them up on their offer of volunteer labor by putting them to work alphabetizing the books now artfully displayed on shelves and tables.
Located at 201 E. Branch St., Monarch Books may be the first bookstore in the history of the Arroyo Grande Village (the late, great Books West was on Grand Avenue, west of the Village) and is one of just a few indie bookstores in the county selling new books, as opposed to used.
If you’re wondering why anyone would take a chance on opening a bookstore in this age of the e-reader, here’s some news: Some readers still enjoy reading the old-fashioned way, with books that have real pages to turn.
Still skeptical?
There are stats to prove it: According to a 2021 survey by the Pew Research Center, 32% of those surveyed read only print books, compared to 9% who exclusively read digital books. The rest either read in both formats or weren’t book readers.
One more stat: The decade from 2009 to 2018 saw a 49% increase in the number of independent bookstores.
“Bookstores are opening all over right now,” said Regez, who attributes it to nostalgia and a craving for community, especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bookstore owner is a lifelong reader
Regez, 41, has been a fan of books her whole life; as a child, her go-to book was “Anne of Green Gables.”
She’s homeschooled her children (she has six, ranging in age from 2 to 18). She’s worked in libraries. She also tried teaching, but decided that wasn’t the right fit.
At that point, she dusted off an old dream: to open a bookstore.
She and her husband, Aaron Regez, began looking for a place to lease after Christmas. When a spot opened up in the Village, they didn’t hesitate. They set to work transforming the space that had previously housed Hello Village — a toy/gift/party supply store that moved a few doors down.
The couple painted and installed bookshelves. Taneesha even made a hanging light with pages from a volume of Aesop’s Fables.
The result is a comfy space with room to wander and places to lounge. Half the shop is devoted to adult books and the other half to kid lit.
Regez hopes the shop will serve as a gathering place where readers can hold book group discussions and swap recommendations while they browse.
In addition to books, the shop also sells literary-themed merchandise: jigsaw puzzles, socks, book lights, happy birthday banners made from recycled books. There are also prints by local watercolorist Jane Cozby, Monarch Book’s first featured artist. (The shop will feature a different artist every quarter.)
Store has 3,000 books in stock
But the stars of the show are the books. There are classics, best-sellers, histories, mysteries, gardening books, picture books, cookbooks and more.
Regez, an Arroyo Grande native, carefully chose her inventory of around 3,000 titles; she brought in books she had either already read or that came well recommended.
There are some banned books: “The 1619 Project” — targeted by some conservative lawmakers who want to prohibit it from being used in classrooms — is on the shelf. And Regez has an order in for “Maus” — the graphic novel about the Holocaust that was banned by a Tennessee school board.
She also made it a point to stock children’s books with characters from a variety of cultures and ethnicities.
“Books were so important when I was a kid,” Regez said, “but almost everyone looked like me in those books, so I think that’s why I originally grabbed it.”
She wants her young customers to have that same opportunity: “I want all kids to see themselves in books,” she said.
Monarch Books is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 805-668-6300.
