Indie Spotlight: Two Rivers Books
Two Rivers Bookstore encapsulates what we love most about independent bookstore: a deep and rich sense of community. Throughout the community of Saint John, Oregon, Two Rivers supports musicians, artists, book lovers, and beyond. Through events and outreach, and a Patreon program, they bring together people from all walks of life to remind one another that we’re helping tell each others’ stories, so why not pull up a chair and read a good one, too?
Get to know more about Two Rivers Bookstore below!
Get to Know Christine
I've always been a HUGE reader. My mom would tell you she could call me over and over and I would be so immersed that I wouldn't hear her.
Two Rivers Bookstore
Two Rivers started on a 4 X 4 table that roamed around the Portland neighborhood of St. Johns. We would do pop-ups at community events like the Farmers market or Halloween Walk. For a bit, the store was a tiny kiosk inside my friend's shoe shop- RoM Shoes. We got a little bigger and for a while, we were in the back of Two Stroke Coffee, a motorcycle cafe. Finally, in 2019, I partnered with Weird Sisters Yarn and we moved into our current 1500' storefront.
Community Through Books
St. Johns is an amazing, connected community and I love the way a bookstore can facilitate that connection—businesses, schools, local non-profits. In our store we employ students from our local Roosevelt High School, we feature local artists and makers, and we host a monthly Singer-Songwriter Night, featuring local musicians.
Indie Bookstore Love
Continuing on the theme of connection, I love the support and connectedness of the book community - booksellers far and wide share ideas, support, and books they love!
The Two Rivers Bookstore Community
I love that our customers are my neighbors, fellow business owners, or kids from the neighborhood. We run into each other walking the dog, at the grocery store, and at the local wine bar 45th Parallel.
The Two Rivers Vibe
We are heavily focused on participating with our community, we feel very strongly that we need to lift each other up to create a strong community.
Bookseller Recommends
It's too hard to answer-I have a cookbook problem at the moment one of my favorite books to sell is Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi. Customers reactions are always “O course-snacking cakes, that’s a great idea”
Coming Up
We are having our Anniversary party on Sept. 10! We’re also starting to plan for our annual Holiday Night Market - a special series of evenings featuring local artists we love but don’t typically stock because our space is limited.
Final Thoughts
We have a Patreon program! For folks who aren’t familiar, we describe it as “a CSA (Customer Supported Agriculture) for Books, Yarn, and Crafts - #CSBYC!” It helps us pay our musicians and cover ongoing expenses, but the heart of it is Community Contributions - the first thing we pay for out of those earnings is a donation to a local non-profit organization that’s working in our community. Past organizations have addressed issues ranging from racial and food justice to housing stability and voting.
Listen to Two Rivers’ first featured episode below!