Last winter, NPR interviewed various bookstores around the nation asking for book recommendations for holiday gifts. One of the stores was Portrait of a Bookstore in Studio City, right over the hill from me. I asked around and people raved about this tiny bookstore attached to Aroma Cafe. Finally, I was able to visit and the store is a gem. Yes, it is small, maybe one of the smallest bookstores I’ve ever been into, but it packs a punch.
What most impressed me about the store was the employees’ passion for books. When I was there almost every book was handsold. I walked through before I ate lunch at the cafe and eavesdropped on the owner, Julie von Zerneck, discussing books with a customer, who then left with several selections. As I was loitering, the person next to me picked up The Elegance of the Hedgehog, I said it was the best book in years. The owner overheard me, I guess I wasn’t the only one eavesdropping, and highly recommended The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa because both books have the same atmosphere and enchantment.
When I returned and the manager talked to me about books, another employee peeled off my girlfriend, Leslie, and suggested several books new to her (and let me tell you, this is a difficult accomplishment). When I mentioned that I was reading essays, the manager found At Large and At Small by Anne Fadiman, now one of my favorite essayists, probably my favorite living essayist. A third customer was discussing The Story of Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer with the cashier, left, then immediately returned and bought it for a friend. Every staff person I came across wanted to discuss books and find a perfect fit for the customer.
Portrait of a Bookstore is tiny but not squished. It consists of two rooms, one about the size of a double wide hallway packed with bookshelves, and another fireplace room with a wall of bookshelves and a few tables. But don’t think for a second that you won’t find something you’ll love. Every book is hand picked from the buyer, Lucia Silva.
Lucia has exquisite taste. I was attracted to the bookstore by the books she recommended on NPR last year, almost all of which I bought. My initial appeal was confirmed as I looked through the shelves. I saw great books I’ve read and many others that were new. I tripped over Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish a memoir about growing up on the author’s Iowa farm during the Great Depression due to a shelf talker. I can’t wait to read it because sounds like an adult Little House on the Prairie.
I asked how business was going in the midst of a recession and the manager described a loyal customer base that used Portrait of a Bookstore as a home-away-from-home and purchased books regularly. The store is well situated in the Tujunga Village neighborhood of Studio City on a quaint street perfect for wandering up and down and in and out of cute shops. Plus, sharing the building with Aroma Cafe, a yummy, busy restaurant, is a bonus. The next time you’re in the area and want to talk books, the staff at Portrait of a Bookstore are waiting!
4360 Tujunga Ave.
Studio City, CA 91304
inside Aroma Cafe
T: 818.769.3853
Tags: California, California bookstore, Studio City, Studio City bookstore, Tujunga Village
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