After a half century in business, Appletree Books in Cleveland Heights shut its doors last May after its third owner, Lynn Quintrell, made the move to retire. The closure left Cedar Fairmount without a local literary outlet.
At least until January, when The Checkered Shelf quietly opened..
Run by Mary Pat Jolivette, the new bookstore will celebrate its grand opening on April 10.
She has thoughtfully curated the store and experience to be, well, an experience. Something you can’t get buying a book online through Amazon or at Target.
“I don’t want this store to feel like, ‘Oh, I’m running an errand and grabbing this book,’” Jolivette said, sitting on a sofa near the Politics and Sports sections. “I want this to feel like I’m coming in, it’s comfortable, it’s inviting. I want people to come in and spend a half hour in here.”
Though online book sales still trump those at brick and mortars, there’s been a post-Covid resurgence in purchasing physical copies. But indie stores still account for just 15 percent of sales.
Yet stores are still opening in Northeast Ohio, including Woven Words in Akron and Parallel Universe Books in Ohio City in the past year. Often, new stores are tailored to a specific genre. Generally, however, they’re built around a sense of community and exploration.
It’s why she’s outfitted Checkered Shelf with a handful of new furniture pieces, why she tossed bean bag chairs in the YA loft. It’s why she hopes to be host to an array of readings and clubs—from casual crocheting circles to touring poets.
And why she’s planning to stay open till 9 p.m. on the weekends. (Four hours later than Appletree used to.)
“I feel like it makes this area more of a destination spot,” Jolivette said. “You can come in, spend three hours here, get a good meal, get a nice cocktail, then have a space to go after.”
So far, Jolivette’s stocked her store with a wide range of curated selections, new paperbacks and hardbacks, literary fiction bestsellers and fancy deluxe editions of classics and children’s favorites.
And Checkered will truly be a family passion project. Two of Jolivette’s six children, who were raised immersed in books nearby on Scarborough Road, will help run the store in the future.
While hopefully keeping the tradition Appletree built long into the future.
“The long term model here is just connection,” she said. “You have to create a space where people feel connected, connected to each other and a place people want to support and want to keep alive in the community.”
Checkered’s grand opening celebration, at 12419 Cedar Road, will be from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 10, and 11 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 11.
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