A Bookstore for the Grove

Co-owner Sandy Francis distinguishes The Bookstore in the Grove from larger chain bookstores by its "sense of community." Francis owns The Bookstore with business partner Felice Dubin. Photo by Jessica Hodder

Where could you have a banana and Nutella hazelnut-flavored empanada with a cup of organic coffee while reading a book? Or enjoy a chocolate vegan cupcake while listening to a favorite author at an Open Mike Night?

You can have it all at The Bookstore in the Grove. With about 20,000 books in stock covering everything from travel to architecture to business, the store has become a place for Groveites to gather. It offers a children’s section decorated with stuffed animals and comfy poufs, a cafe with eight tables as well as a lounge with a chess table and cushioned seating. And, of course, there are shelves and tables full of books that guide the visitor from genre to genre,

“I want the community to think about this place as their bookstore,” said Sandy Francis, who owns the store with Felice Dubin. “I want them to take that ownership.”

The staff offers customers a more personal service by recommending books, placing custom orders and having books in stock that are used in area schools, Francis said.

It all began when Borders closed a bookstore in Coconut Grove in 2005, leaving the community without a place to go for books. Francis and Dubin, both longtime Grove residents, said they felt the need to address this situation. In November 2007 the two opened their independent shop at the corner of Grand Avenue and Virginia Street.

Neither had experience in the retail industry. But both Francis and Dubin said they grew up reading books and believe that they should be treated with love and respect.

“Of course, a bookstore is a popular idea,” Francis said. “But we wanted this one to be warm.”

Erica, 8, looks at an assortment of small toys in The Bookstore in the Grove. She came to the store Thursday night, Oct. 14, with her mom and their dog "Pauli" to find books for Erica. "We've been coming here since they opened," said Erica's mom, Alexa, "Erica's school also has their book fair here every year." The Bookstore in the Grove opened in November of 2007 a few years after a large chain bookstore closed in the area. Photo by Jessica Hodder

Before opening the bookstore, Francis worked at Bacardi USA for almost 22 years. Dubin has worked in real estate and is a community activist. She is vice chair on the Coconut Grove Village Council, board member in Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce, and co-chair of the Grove Merchants Group.

As a way to build community, the bookstore hosts special events like book release parties, writer’s read nights, poetry nights, book club sessions and science café — face-to-face conversation with a guest scientist about research and issues related to science topics.

On Sept. 30, the bookstore held a party and signing for Miami historian Arva Moore Parks, whose new book, Images of America: Coconut Grove, chronicles the neighborhood’s early days. It featured live music by Bobby Ingram. The event had a large turnout.

The café, which is an important part of The Bookstore at the Grove, also draws people in with its organic coffee and homemade food.

“I am proud to say we are using local products,” Dubin said, adding that it took her two months to find an organic coffee that she liked. She finally found one in Key West. “I wanted the best for the store,” she said.

Grove resident Hector Lamourt said he visits the shop at least twice a week, calling it a “good place to relax with good coffee and good food.”

Two of the customers’ favorites are the empanadas and grilled paninis, Dubin said. The menu also includes salads, wraps and muffins, carrot cake, and croissants baked by Dubin and her cooking staff.

The owners and the cooks come up with most of the recipes, but the bookstore also sells pastries from other local bakeries.

“If I lived here, I would come every day,” declared an enthusiastic Giovanni Rizzo, an Italian tourist visiting the area for the first time. “It is a perfect combination of two of the best pleasures in life: food and books.”

Books displayed inside the local book shop, The Bookstore in the Grove, which is owned by Sandy Francis and Felice Dubin. Francis explained how "people like to come here to get book suggestions, we have author events, poetry nights and also host local organization meetings." Photo by Jessica Hodder

Hot air balloons and airplanes adorn the ceiling in the children's section of The Bookstore in the Grove located in the Mayfair Plaza on Virginia Street. The bookstore opened in November of 2007 after a chain bookstore closed in the area. "Let's just say the timing was right," Sandy Francis, one of the owners of The Bookstore said, "Coconut Grove needed a bookstore and that was just a conversation with Felice (co-owner of The Bookstore with Francis) that turned fantasy into reality." Photo by Jessica Hodder