Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Vega.
Claudia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in family that loved reading and valued literature. Bookstores, specifically family bookstores, in Oak Cliff were very limited and inconsistently available. We had to travel to North Dallas or the suburbs in order to do our book shopping. When I became a teacher and then a mother many years later, I found myself in the same situation: a great need and desire to build my classroom and home libraries, to explore the shelves of a local bookstore and with very limited access.
As an educator, I also know and have experienced the gap that exists in reading abilities. I strongly believe that having limited access to books ownership and reading culture deeply affects our younger readers. Neighborhood bookstores serves as a third space, a place for community members to come together in share and explore ideas through books and literature. That’s why we are here, to create access, to reignite the reading culture of our community, and to create positive reading experiences for friends and families.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been an interesting road and we are learning more and more every day. The bookstore, as a business, operates on a very narrow profit margin; book prices are set by the industry. Online retailers like Amazon sell books at a loss in order to collect data on their customers. This makes it challenging. However, we offer something Amazon cannot. We build community, create positive reading experiences, and host author events. We also have over 40 years of combined experience in education that allows us to offer insight and guidance to our customers who are trying to raise young readers.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Whose Books is a family-owned and operated social-impact startup bookstore in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood that was founded in November 2021. We are a community-focused bookstore designed to champion literacy on all levels, with a mission to eradicate the book desert by creating book access and ownership in our historically underserved community. Our shelves are curated to represent the community’s interests and to amplify diverse voices, experiences, and ideas.
Whose Books stocks over 4,000 books for the entire family. Half of our inventory is curated from children and young adults, with board books, picture books, leveled readers, early chapter books, middle grade, and young adult books. The remainder of our collection is geared to adults with titles across all genres of fiction and nonfiction. The store also offers a small rotating selection of books in Spanish and bilingual format for both young and adult readers.
Whose Books currently operates a brick-and-mortar shop located at Oak Cliff’s Tyler Sation. Tyler Station serves as a centerpoint for small business, entrepreneurs, and creatives by providing affordable leases for tenants in the heart of Oak Cliff and with direct access to public transportation. We also extend our footprint by participating in monthly pop-up markets in South and West Dallas.
Community programming that uplifts the love of reading and creating positive reading experiences is at the heart of our bookstore. We curate monthly events that include community storytime for children and their families, author events, book clubs, poetry readings, and much more.
Contact Info:
- Website: whosebooks.shop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whosebooks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whosebooksoakcliff/
