Local bookstores are community epicenters, serving as a place of sudden inspiration within the crevices of every shelf. WSU Vancouver alumni, Sarah Summerhill and Lucas Gubala have recently established Birdhouse Bookstore, a new shop opening in downtown Vancouver dedicated to handpicking special collections of antique, affordable, best sellers for their soon-to-be customers.
The two recent 2020 graduates have made their dream of opening a bookstore into a reality. Summerhill, a former English major, and Gubala, a computer science major, collaborated in the creation of Birdhouse Bookstore, sure to be a true gem and treasured success within the community.
“We’ve kind of always talked about it, like when we’re old we would like to have a bookstore. But, we found a space that we’re going to be in, and it was perfect, and so beautiful. So we decided this is the moment to do it while we’re young. We have our whole lives ahead of us to fail or succeed,” Summerhill said.
“We want to be a part of a community and culture of book lovers,” Gubala said.
Finding themselves with a surplus of books, Summerhill and Gubala built upon their passion for buying and collecting vintage novels which served as a great contributor to establishing Birdhouse Books. They have since visited Goodwill, various garage sales and have attained new books from others to build a collection that will soon sit together on the quaint shelves of their ma and pa shop. Although they currently have an online inventory available, Summerhill says they are planning to open the store’s physical location on 1001 Main Street in mid-May.
As of now, Summerhill and Gubala are in the process of preparing Birdhouse Books for a grand opening, and are gradually adding new custom bookshelves for the whole room.
“We will have double-sided bookshelves to try to maintain maximum natural light, while also giving us the most amount of space to display our products. In preparation, the thing we have enjoyed the most is collecting, at least me, I certainly collect more books than I read. I like working through them, and the thrill of the hunt to find a cool copy, the process is really enjoyable,” Gubala said.
What makes Birdhouse Books so special, is the uniqueness of its novel collection. Customers are sure to find a new novel where they least expect it, within a variety of vintage books spanning between fiction, mythology, fairy tales, poetry and graphic novels to the most obscure children’s books.
“Being an English major, [Sarah] has a good background in book names that I don’t know, or some of the less influential ones. Me being a sci-fi head, I know some of the old school sci-fi writers,” Gubala said. “Between the two of us, we get a fair deal of names that aren’t like cover names like Shakespeare or Dickens, but some of the lesser-known authors that people may stop and say ‘Oh, I’ve heard of this name but I’ve never read that,’ so we keep an eye out for those.”
Summerhill and Gubala originally wanted to create a small literary pamphlet as an initial point to turn their passions for reading, writing and literature into a published booklet. However, when the opportunity arose to open their store, Summerhill’s love for birds became the basis of the theme. While the pair threw around alternatives for the store name, after asking family and friend’s opinions, everyone agreed Birdhouse Books would be the perfect fit.
“We’re in a loft space, so that was part of it, that it felt a little bit like a birdhouse.” – Sarah Summerhill.
The pair say that finding the physical location for their store was meant to be. After searching extensively for a space to establish the shop, they came across a spot above the charming Rosemary Cafe placed right on Main Street. Summerhill says their business will also work with Phoenix Rising Art Gallery, which already occupies the loft, creating an art gallery and bookstore partnership.
As for the official opening, customers can expect to visit Birdhouse Bookstore in mid-May. Based on COVID-19 restrictions and preserving community safety, Summerhill says they will likely have a grand opening event with proper pandemic precautions. Gubala is also optimistic they will make the event a success, providing welcome packets and allowing a certain number of customers in at a time to browse through their collection.
“We will have it organized well enough so people can find something they like quickly, and hopefully we can have some sort of event where we can be safe,” Gubala said.
As the previous president of WSU Vancouver’s Creative Writing Club, Summerhill is looking forward to hosting poetry readings, discussions and book clubs at the store. She hopes to provide other events that create an all-encompassing space for writers of all backgrounds and interests to collaborate.
“Hopefully, we will end up having poetry slams and other events like that in the space. It would be nice to have a space for writers and creatives in the area,” Summerhill said.
Additionally, Birdhouse Bookstore is accepting donations for those who might have one too many books on their hands. Donors can email birdhousebookstore@gmail.com to inquire, and those who live in the Portland area are also eligible for book pickups as well.
“We’re accepting all book donations. We’ll come pick them up in our big green van, and we’ll be accepting drop-offs at the store location too,” Gubala said.
Independent bookstores resemble places of knowledge and wonder. Summerhill and Gubala are new but passionate members of the bookselling business and hope their new shop will bring joy to those looking to unearth their next favorite novel.
Olivia is a senior studying English at WSU Vancouver.