Get to know Read Books: a small, curated collection of history

All photos by Eva Jones

This article is for the avid readers of Eagle Rock, who like to experience new things and find out about different niches and stories. At Read Books, books aren't copy and paste. Each book has a unique history and story behind it. Many books are signed or have special aspects to them, one example being a book signed by the somewhat famous photographer Oiji, to a city planner named Robert Moses. Moses was considered to be an evil man, with a lot of power. That is the beauty of a used book store. Somehow, Oiji signed the book to Moses, and from there, it was passed on to someone else, and then someone else, and then finally, it ended up at Read Books. This is just one example of the many, many books that are different in some way.

A book signed by Oiji to Moses

I myself have purchased many books from Read Books, such as Voodoo in New Orleans, and The Scarlet Letter. I like to imagine that the New Orleans voodoo book might have belonged to a truth-seeking adventurer, and perhaps that The Scarlet Letter had belonged to a quirky, eccentric, or possibly very deep and pessimistic high school student in the 00’s. 

Debbie Kaplan and Jeremy Kaplan, the owners and creators of Read Books, are both impressive readers and literature fanatics. They have great taste in books, a good thing to have when owning a curated used book shop. Jeremy's favorite book is Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov. Jeremy and Debbie first met working at a bookstore together, and the idea to make Read Books was quickly organized after they got together. One of the hardest parts for them during the process of opening their store was finding a good space for all of their books. They originally had rented a storage unit for the books they had collected over the years, which they transferred to the space after they found where they wanted the shop to be. They continue to add many books to their collection, sometimes they get them from people who exchange books for store credit, other times they will buy books, and some people like to donate books. Each book is picked by them so that the store is full of good literature that you can trust.

Jeremy and Debbie are, for the most part, the only workers in the store other than when their children helped them when they were kids. They do receive help from an organization that they partner with, which gives a chance for kids who are on the spectrum to help them out with the store.

While it was difficult to find the right space, there were many hardships, big or small, during the process of opening Read Books. For one, letting go of special books. Sometimes a book will be there for so long, or have a memory to it, that it is just hard to give away. Some books are sold as a set, so as not to break them up or leave a book set broken. 

As bookshop owners, who run the shop, they get to meet interesting people and get to know many people based on their book choices. Many people frequent the store, and one can tell a lot about a person based on their book choices. For example, one time, they met someone who had just got out of jail. He hadn’t read until he went to jail, but wanted to continue reading after he got out. This happens often to them, where unexpected new acquaintances will wander into the shop. 

One of my favorite things about Read Books is the chance of it all. What I mean by this is that all of these interesting people happen to go to such an interesting place. It’s crazy to me that there is so much history in such a small space. Each book has its own life, timeline. You never know who might have loved and cherished a book before you, or who might after you. I love the idea of a string between readers that is created by a used bookstore and I have so much fun thinking about that string when I read my books from Read Books. It creates an almost invisible community between readers and a meaningful space to experience a small corner of history.