Josh Spencer and Jenna Hipp Spencer, owners of the Last Bookstore and Lost Books in Los Angeles, Calif., opened Skull-Face Bookstore at 1148 Bethel St., in Honolulu, Hawaii, in December. Honolulu magazine reported that "while their California shops cater to a broad audience, [Josh] Spencer decided that if he was going to open a bookstore back in his home state (he grew up as a surfer-skater kid in Hawai'i Kai), it might as well be a true reflection of his own unique tastes, as niche as they may be."
Every book in the shop is hand-picked by Spencer, who said, "There seemed to be a void on the island for the kinds of things that I personally love--darker, weirder, more action-oriented stuff, everything from punk rock to ancient Roman and Greek history to science fiction. It's kind of a mash-up of nerdy stuff and really hip stuff."
They discovered the location while home visiting friends and family. Spending some time in Downtown-Chinatown, they "found themselves falling for the neighborhood's somewhat gritty-but-authentic vibe and strong sense of community," Honolulu noted.
"It just feels real and organic," Spencer said. "It has history behind it and kind of a rough edge to it, which goes well with our personalities and what we like. There's a lot of cool people down here--we were talking to the other shop owners and it seemed like everybody knew each other and was looking out for each other."
Of the bookstore's interior, Spencer said he "wanted it to be overstimulation with a maximalist feel to it. I covered the walls with things that meant something to me--shows I'd watch, movies I love, bands that I liked. I also wanted to make it feel like somebody's bedroom in a way and cover it with posters and artwork, and have these really cool blankets. I wanted it to feel like home to people that are into this stuff.... We'd like people to explore and wander around. There's something new around every corner. That's the way books are--when you're reading, you don't know where it's gonna take you. A bookstore should mimic that too."
Spencer added that since the shop opened, "everybody that comes in is like, how did you know? We needed this! How do you carry all these books that we like? Everybody seems super-stoked and really appreciative. I was surprised because I didn't know if anybody else liked the kind of stuff I like too, but it seems like there's a large amount of people that do."