Bel Canto Books in Long Beach, Calif., has opened a second location, in the city's Bixby Knolls neighborhood.
Owner Jhoanna Belfer and her team held a soft opening for the new location on Wednesday, February 1. The 400-square-foot store is part of KUBO LB, a collaborative community enterprise established to support local Filipinx, LGBTQ and BIPOC-led small businesses, and carries adult fiction and nonfiction, children's books and gifts, all with a focus on BIPOC authors and artists.
Belfer launched a crowdfunding campaign last fall to help the store expand. She noted on the GoFundMe campaign that the new space will allow Bel Canto Books to host a variety of community events, including author talks, book clubs and workshops.
"It really does take a village to pull something off like this, and we couldn't be prouder of all that we've already accomplished," Belfer wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday. "We are so thrilled and humbled to be welcomed so warmly into the neighborhood!"
Belfer founded Bel Canto Books in 2018 after leaving a career as an executive in the hospitality industry. The store's earliest iteration was a monthly book club through which Belfer paired readers with hand-selected books. From there, it became a pop-up shop, making appearances at farmers' markets, street festivals and business conferences. In fall 2019, Belfer opened a bricks-and-mortar space.