Last month, mam's books, a new indie bookstore located at 608 Maynard Ave. S in the Chinatown-International District of Seattle, Wash., celebrated its soft opening with a launch party. The Seattle Times reported that the opening of mam's books "feels especially noteworthy. On its cheerful website, mam's claims to be the only Asian American bookstore in the Pacific Northwest, and it is the first free-standing independent bookstore to open in the CID in decades. The shop is expressly dedicated to serving the community at a time when the CID is engaged in a civic conversation about its uncertain future."
Owner Sokha Danh's family arrived in the U.S. as refugees from Cambodia in 1988, first living in Louisiana before moving to Washington State. "I'm very lucky to have grown up in a family that really cherished education," he said, citing library books as a key factor in his youth, though "I remember going to Barnes & Noble and not being able to afford anything.... Growing up, I saw a lot of inequities, and so I've always been a big believer in the underdog."
Danh worked at the Seattle CID Preservation and Development Authority, where he "had the special privilege of getting to know Donnie Chin and Uncle Bob [Santos]. I saw all the greats of the Asian American community doing what they do to make sure it stayed a special neighborhood." After moving over to the City of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods, he felt that he still needed to do more.
"I think it's upon us as the next generation of Asian Americans to create spaces that are relevant for us," said Dahn, who eventually decided that he wanted to open a bookstore where the community can "talk about important issues, explore new ideas and maybe revisit old ones, and create a joyful place in the neighborhood."
He found the 1,000-square-foot space, painted it with bright colors and named it mam's books after his father, the Times noted, adding that the shop "carries literary fiction and nonfiction by Asian American authors in multiple languages, along with a section of CID history books and a wide selection of young adult and children's books. To encourage people to hang out, snacks and nonalcoholic drinks are for sale."
Mam's books is part of a "wave of new community activism street-level, supportive, and interested in preserving the CID's storied past while also building a future that embraces everything that makes the neighborhood special," the Times wrote.
"I really don't feel like this space is mine," Danh said. "It belongs to the community."