Capitola is a sleepy little town just south of Santa Cruz with a terrific bookstore. We stopped in last week while spending a week in the area and immediately relaxed in the warm, quiet atmosphere. What first caught my eye were the New York Times Book Reviews cut out and placed next to the appropriate books. I can’t count how many times I’ve read a review, wanted the book, but then couldn’t remember its name when I was in the bookstore (the Kindle users don’t need to chime in that I could have had the book in moments, my Kindle sits in a drawer), why don’t more bookstores do this? Plus, stacks of the Review sat by the cash register for customers to peruse.
Capitola Book Cafe sells both used and new books shelved together. My daughter grabbed almost as many YA books as she could hold and given how fast she reads, the used book discount is nice. For my son, I found a guide from a local author: 25 Month Until College: The Don’t Panic, Step-by-Step, What-When-Why-How Guide for Students and Parents, by Judy McNeely. It starts with December of sophomore year and has specific tasks for each month, some a little more hectic than others. I appreciate the bullet-point layout including charts and deadlines. If you have a sophomore or junior, buy it, while not all inclusive of everything you need, it provides the highlights and some organizational structure. Needless to say, when I handed it to my son during vacation, he wasn’t thrilled. I’ll be keeping the book until December to ensure that it doesn’t get “lost.”
Capitola Book Cafe has a fun recommendation bookshelf entitled “Our Community Reads” open to writers, readers and faithful supporters. This month, Laurie King’s favorites were listed along with those of Doug Abrams and his family. We bought The Alchemyst by Michael Scott after learning that the Abrams family was reading it.
The Cafe part of Capitola Book Cafe is not your typical coffee drinks and pastry eatery. There was a wine list and a variety of salads and sandwiches, I loved it since svelt readers cannot survive on pastries alone. We’re in the area every August and next year we’ll drop by there for lunch.
Capitola Book Cafe made news recently when it started its “Friends” program. In exchange for an annual fee, friends receive a discount on books and special privileges. The program gives the store a base income that helps even out the cash flow. The program is going fairly well but had a hiccup when the store stopped running the cafe and leased it to new management. I asked why, Politics and Prose did the same thing a few years back and for basically the same reason, they are booksellers not cafe operators. As a result of the change, Friends of Capitola lost the cafe discount, but the bookstore is making it up with other perks.
Drop by for a glass of wine, a good book and a lovely time of reading in their various seating areas. They’re open until 10PM, so while away an evening among book lovers.
1475 41st Ave.
Capitola, CA 95010
T: 831-462-4415
Tags: book cafe, California, California bookstore, Capitola, Capitola bookstore, college admission, college guide
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