The beloved Long Beach community staple, Casita Book Store, is relocating after a difficult fiscal year. Owner Antonette Franceschi-Chavez told CALÓ News that she hopes the transition will occur within the next four to five weeks.
On January 2, Franceschi-Chavez announced on social media that Casita Books Store would be relocating and directed her supporters to a fundraiser to help cover the costs of the move. According to the GoFundMe campaign, sales from the previous year were down 19% compared to 2022, with the most significant losses occurring over the last six months. Franceschi-Chavez expressed hope that the influx of holiday sales would help them recover, but, unfortunately, that was not the case.
“We are saying goodbye to our casita, but we’re not going far—just down the street off Redondo,” she tells CALÓ News. Franceschi-Chavez’s husband owns a local barbershop called Service & Supply, with two separate retail spaces that will now be sectioned off and divided: a barbershop on one side and a bookstore on the other.
For the past three years, Casitas Book Store has served as a space where the locals not only buy books, but also gather. They have previously hosted bilingual story times, author events, and workshops led by community members. Franceschi-Chavez, who identifies as Afro-Latina, states that the bookstore has played a significant role in her personal journey to reconnect with her heritage, which she hopes to continue facilitating for others. “My dad was Puerto Rican, my mom is Mexican,” she shares, “this bookstore is opening me up to so many beautiful stories.”…