>>MELANIE LAWSON: WELCOME BACK. POSITIVELYJAX. A NEW WOMAN OWNED BOOKSTORE IN THE
RIVER CITY IS FOCUSING ON
SHARING DIVERSE STORIES. IT’S
CALLED THEM FIRE BOOKS. AND
AFTER STARTING OUT AS AN
ONLINE BOOKSTORE, THE OWNER
HAS EXPANDED HER PASSION
PROJECT INTO HER FIRST BRICK
AND MORTAR STORE. VANESSA
NIKOLA JOINS ME THIS MORNING.
AND GOOD MORNING TO YOU. YES,
SO THE STORY JUST OPENED IN
RIVERSIDE. AND WHAT MADE YOU
DECIDE TO OPEN THE STORE? AND
I’VE HAD AN ONLINE PRESENCE
FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS NOW AND HAVE
BEEN WORKING WITH CULTIVATE
WHO IS NESTLED IN RIVERSIDE
AND THEY HAVE A LITTLE COTTAGE
OUTBACK AND THE OPPORTUNITY
PRESENTED ITSELF TO LEASE A
SPACE. AND SO
>> I DECIDED TO GO ALL IN,
RIGHT, RIGHT. AND I KNOW THAT
IT STARTED WHEN YOU WERE IN
THE NAVY, YOU HAD THIS IDEA
WHEN YOU’RE IN THE NAVY AND
STARTED RIGHT? IT WAS ACTUALLY
A HOBBY. I JUST LOVE TO READ
AND SHARE BOOKS AND
>> I CREATED A WEBSITE AND I
HAD THE WEB SITE OPEN FOR
ABOUT 4, 5 MONTHS. I CREATED
AN INSTAGRAM AND I DEPLOYED
FOR 6 MONTHS AND COULDN’T STOP
THINKING ABOUT IT WHILE I WAS
GONE. AND WHEN I CAME BACK
AND, YOU KNOW, REACTIVATED THE
INSTAGRAM, EVERYONE LIKE.
>> WELL, IF THEN, THANK
GOODNESS YOU’RE BACK IN. SO
THEY WERE EXCITED TO HAVE ME
BACK IN. SO THAT, YOU KNOW,
REALLY GOT ME MOTIVATED TO TO
KEEP ON GOING FOR SOME. AND
WHY IS DIVERSITY IN BOOKS SO
IMPORTANT? I THINK IT’S SO TO
FEEL SEEN AND WHAT YOU’RE
READING. I THINK YOU CAN
ABSOLUTELY READ SOMETHING THAT
YOU MAY NOT RELATE TO AND
STILL ENJOY IT. BUT A BOOK IT
BECOMES MORE SPECIAL WHEN YOU
AND NOT SOMETHING I HAD A LOT
GROWING UP. AND SO I HOPE TO
I’M REALLY SHOWCASE THAT IN MY
STORE FOR PEOPLE TO COME IN
AND FEEL SEEN, RIGHT, RIGHT IN
YOUR FILIPINO AMERICAN. SO
THAT IS PROBABLY EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT TO YOU, ESPECIALLY
MAKING SURE THAT ASIAN
REPRESENTATION IS ON THE
SHELVES IN YOUR STORE.
>> RIGHT. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT
SOME OF THE BOOKS HERE?
BECAUSE I KNOW SOME OF THE
BOOKS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR
REFLECTS BOOKS THAT SOME
PARENTS WANT BANNED FROM
SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES. SO YOU
WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE
AUTHORS STILL HAVE
REPRESENTATION IN YOUR STORE,
RIGHT? SO LET’S SEE WHAT WE
HAVE HERE. YES, SO THIS BOOK
RIGHT HERE IS CALLED CHILDREN
OF BLOOD AND BONE BY TOMI AT A
M E
>> THIS ONE IS ONE OF MY
FAVORITES THAT I JUST I WOULD
DESCRIBE IT AS ADVENTUROUS.
WONDERFUL IF YOU COULD TAKE
AVATAR. THE LAST AIRBENDER AND
COMBINE IT WITH THE WORLD OF
WAKANDA AND BLACK PANTHER AND
PUT THOSE 2 THINGS TOGETHER
INTO A BOOK LIKE THAT’S WITH
ALL MY GUN. HOW LOVE BLACK
PANTHER? YOU KNOW, LIKE A
CHILDREN’S BOOK HERE, RIGHT?
YES. SO THIS ONE’S CALLED
SAVING AMERICAN BEACH IN. IT’S
ACTUALLY A BIOGRAPHY OF A
JACKSONVILLE,
ENVIRONMENTALISTS. BUT I THINK
IT HOLDS A VERY IMPORTANT
PIECE OF JACKSONVILLE HISTORY
ABOUT AMERICAN BEACH, WHICH IS
USED, WHICH USED TO BE A BLACK
ONLY BEACH IN JACKSONVILLE,
FLORIDA, WHICH I VERY RECENTLY
LEARNED ABOUT. SO I THINK IT’S
IMPORTANT TO, YOU KNOW,
SHOWCASE JACKSONVILLE HISTORY.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: IN A CHILL.
ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT IS REALLY
COOL THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING
FOR LOCAL KIDS TO SAY, HEY, AT
THE END OF THIS PIECE BEFORE I
KNOW THIS AREA AND THEN JUST
LEARNING THE HISTORY, THAT IS
AWESOME. AND THEN YOU HAVE A
COUPLE OF BOOKS HERE. YES.
>> THIS ONE’S CALLED MY HEART
OF RICE. IT’S WRITTEN BY A
FILIPINO AMERICAN WOMAN AND
THE PREMISE OF IT IS SERIES OF
POEMS THAT KIND OF DISPLAYS
HOW SECOND GENERATION
IMMIGRANTS KIND OF GRAPPLE
WITH THEIR CULTURAL IDENTITY.
>> AND I FELT LIKE I REALLY
RESONATED WITH THAT. AND I
THINK A LOT OF FILIPINO
AMERICAN WOMEN CAN AS WELL.
>> WHICH I REALLY LOVE
ABSOLUTELY. THAT IS SO
AWESOME. AND I KNOW THAT I
WANT PEOPLE REALIZE WHEN THEY
CAN COME AND CHECK OUT YOUR
STORE WHERE THEY CAN GO AND
WHAT TIMES. SO THE STORE IS
LOCATED AT 2, 7, 6, 6 PARK
STREET.
>> IT IS LOCATED BEHIND
CULTIVATE STORE HOURS ARE
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY FROM
10 TO 6.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: AND THEN
SUNDAY FROM 11 TO 4 AND YOU
HAVE BOOKS OF ALL AGES FROM
KIDS TO ADULTS. ANYONE CAN
COME IN THERE AND FIND
SOMETHING THAT’S FOR THEM.
YES. ALRIGHT, HAS A LOOK.
TH