Commerce Street Books — in business since June 28 — hopes to pull its customers both closer to literature and closer to one another. The independent bookstore was founded by Class of 2015 alumnus Philip Lorish, who hopes to support what he calls the “practice of reading” in the Charlottesville community.
“We're creating value for a community and for folks who want to have an in person experience,” Lorish said.
According to the website, Commerce Street Books is “the modern bookshop Charlottesville deserves.” The store offers shopping and direct communication online as well as membership subscriptions for discounts and exclusive events. The membership model is also meant to create cohesive relationships among customers as Commerce Street rolls out occasional members-only programming.
“What makes us unique is that we want to be easy to use and we want to be as transparent as we can be,” Lorish said. “We want to get people closer to the prices that they see on Amazon or elsewhere by offering them significant discounts on books with their membership.”
The store is located on Main Street minutes from the Downtown Mall in the rear of the Doyle Hotel’s lobby. The space reinforces the openness and modernity Lorish envisioned for his bookstore, with elevated ceilings, full length windows and a minimalist white finish.
“Bookstores should be places where you lose time … We want to have comfortable seating around and lots of light,” Lorish said, “You should be able to browse without feeling like you're trapped … I've wanted the store to feel like a relief or a respite, so that's part of what's going on architecturally too.”
Another source of inspiration for Lorish came from his understanding of Charlottesville’s intellectual curiosity. Lorish has spent the better part of two decades living in Charlottesville — the first of which revolved mainly around his studies at the University. Upon finishing his Doctorate in religious studies in 2015, the city became a permanent home. In 2021, Lorish began independently consulting business start-ups before being inspired by modern bookstores popping up nationwide.
“I thought to myself, ‘this seems like a great use of time and energy, and it’s something that Charlottesville would respond well to,’” Lorish said.
To that end, Commerce Street hopes to serve as an important intellectual conduit for the entire broader public.
“Charlottesville is a super interesting place for people who want to be around ideas…There is a really interesting reading public that's not all attached to U.Va. and then there are folks within the UVA world who want places to speak to other folks.”
During its grand opening — “Big Weekend” from Sept. 5-7 — the store will host three in-store events targeted at varying audiences, with the details of these events available on the store’s Substack and Instagram,
Friday’s event is titled “Books and Bubbles” with Bruce Holsinger, University English professor and bestselling author — followed by Saturday morning’s child-friendly “Doughnuts and Storytime”. The store will then host a used book exchange on Sunday using donations made during the preceding week.
“Reading is a practice in the sense that it requires attention and effort and it's a real skill,” Lorish said. “A good bookstore can't read books for you, but it can put the right kinds of books in your hands and surround you with people who are helping you develop your own reading practice.”
To him, the practice of reading is not at all characterized by the allure of instant satisfaction and infinite refreshability that exists in modern entertainment — meaning it requires systems of support.
“There's always a shiny new object out there that is demanding you attention and is really good at capturing your attention … Reading requires effort and sometimes support structures,” Lorish said.
Commerce Street will continue with programming throughout the fall and hopes to broaden its customer base. Lorish says that students in particular could benefit from a broader exploration of Charlottesville, which Commerce Street’s downtown location actively welcomes.
“I would make an explicit appeal to U.Va. students to walk down Main Street and get away from the Corner for a little bit, largely because there's a wide wonderful group of people in Charlottesville that are not afraid of undergrads,” Lorish said. “This place is intended to be comfortable for students and also a place where they can meet people that they otherwise wouldn't run into.”
In addition to comfortability, Lorish hopes for Commerce Street to evoke the sense of freedom and fulfillment concurrent with the practice of reading.
“Bookstores are a place where people can explore without being graded… You get to read stuff because you want to read it. I think that's really valuable because it's a good way to live, whether or not it gets you anything.”
Read More
Rotunda Sing invites students into the University’s a capella world
By Fiona Goo | Yesterday17 musical groups performed on the Lawn Wednesday, marking the 37th annual Rotunda Sing.
The Black Keys blossom into a new era with the release of ‘No Rain, No Flowers’
By Amelia Lucien | YesterdayAmerican blues-rock duo The Black Keys began their highly anticipated comeback story Aug. 8 with the release of their 13th full-length album, “No Rain, No Flowers.”
Upcoming Charlottesville arts events offer more than meets the eye
By Zoe McFarland | 2 days agoThis fall’s arts season boasts a breadth of events from trusted University drama department productions to momentous visits from big names like Adam Sandler and Tyler Childers.
