The Thinking Spot, an all-ages bookstore dedicated to science, technology, engineering and math, opened in Wayzata, Minn., late last year, the Eden Prairie Local News reported. Owner Rima Parikh stocks some 5,000 STEM-related titles and will start hosting author events early next month.
"My idea of making science accessible is not just with a bookstore," Parikh said. "It's a gathering place for those working in science and technology. I expect them to come here and educate others in the community about what they do and why."
Parikh left a lucrative corporate job to start The Thinking Spot. She explained that opening a bookstore had always been a dream, something she figured she'd do once she retired, but after the pandemic began she started to wonder, "why wait? If I want to do something, do it now."
She quit her job in April 2021 to focus on The Thinking Spot full-time. She spent most of last summer building the store's inventory, hand-picking books that are both fun to read and educational. She hopes her store will show people that science is neither difficult to understand nor exclusive.
"It's behind everything," Parikh told EPLN. "It doesn't mean that one has to be a chemical engineer or mechanical engineer to appreciate science."
The store's name comes from the Winnie the Pooh series, which was one of her children's favorites. "Winnie the Pooh would go to this pool, under a tree, where he would sit on a log and would just think. It was called 'Thinking Spot.' " That spot, Parikh added, always seemed a bit like a bookstore to her: "It was where one would dig deeper and take time to think."
Her science outreach efforts, meanwhile, were largely inspired by the science communication work of actor Alan Alda, particularly his books and podcast. Said Parikh: "I always wanted to make science accessible to everybody."
The Thinking Spot will start hosting events on February 5, with a visit from Ben Orlin, author of Math with Bad Drawings.