Long Dark House bookstore, which focuses on horror, science fiction, and "other strange stories," officially opened September 5 at 1510 King. St. in Alexandria, Va. Zebra reported that owner Chanthal Harris "is vivacious, funny, and not a bit scary. She is passionate about books, community, and storytelling."
"I got into horror as a child," Chanthal recalls. "My Mom was into scary and my Dad was into sci-fi. Scaring each other is a fun memory. Scaring people was my love language!"
The bookstore will host a grand opening celebration on September 19. In a social media post, Harris noted: "Why celebrate for one day when you can celebrate all month? Long Dark House is officially open, and we are SO incredibly grateful for the response to our first week. The turnout has been much larger than we ever anticipated, and there have been quite a few happy dances happening behind the counter. So naturally... we’re doing it again.... We're ordering and restocking like crazy after the incredible response to opening week, so Part II will give us time to bring in more books, more titles, more genres, more goodies, and plenty of new discoveries."
Noting that "there is nothing that gives me more joy than a book," Harris told Zebra that when she decided to open a bookstore, she naturally went with what she calls her "comfort genre." For readers not inclined toward the scary, the store offers a "starter section" to help introduce those who have never read in this area. "Even if it's not your genre, give it a chance!" she said. "Horror is misunderstood. It allows you to explore the human condition. It teaches empathy."
She is also passionate about building a community: "I envision a place where people will feel free to drop in, even if they don't buy anything.... I have fun ideas for all we can do, and I will announce those the first week we open."