Bird Rock Bookshop, a "grandma-owned and -operated" children's bookstore, will host a grand opening celebration on November 15 at 5604 La Jolla Blvd. in La Jolla, Calif., the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The store had its soft opening last month.
Owner Jodi Bratch said the store is meant for children and young adults, featuring an inventory that includes classic books alongside book-related gifts: "It's such a perfect age to set the stage for children to be lifelong readers. I feel like children's bookstores are kind of evergreen, where there's always going to be children reading--this is the hope. And also they're reading books and turning pages. It's a very tactile experience."
The bookshop's launch "comes roughly two years after Bratch moved from southwest Florida to La Jolla to spend time with her daughter and young granddaughter. With more time on her hands and a desire to connect more deeply with her new community in Bird Rock, Bratch got to work on establishing Bird Rock Bookshop," the Union-Tribune wrote.
She noted that the Bird Rock neighborhood seemed a proper place for a store: "I felt the community had space for it and it filled a need. There's a charm and an identity that Bird Rock has, and a little children's bookstore seemed like a good fit."
Noting that Bird Rock Bookshop is in a "nookish location," Bratch said she hopes it can become a fixture in the neighborhood. "I think it's tiny but mighty," she added. "That's going to be my goal for it--to have a good selection in such a tiny space."