The May Literary Road Trip Box is themed to the state of Wisconsin and the indie bookstore collaboration is with Lion's Mouth Bookstore. Amy Mazzariello opened Lion's Mouth Bookstore in 2019. Mazzariello was a long-time bookseller at The Reader's Loft, before buying the business and rebranding it into the Lion's Mouth Bookstore.
What are the origins of the store's name? I found a 2019 article from Ben Rodgers at the Press Times ( here's the link) where Mazzariello explains her store's name. She shares that it's from the Library Company in Philadelphia. The Library Company was founded by Benjamin Franklin, who shared the European idea of public libraries with America. To gather titles that the public wanted the library to acquire, they had a metal box with a lion on it and you'd slip a piece of paper with the title's name through the lion's mouth. I love the history and the thoughtfulness behind Mazzariello's name choice.. I'm not sure if they do, but I really hope that the Lion's Mouth Bookstore has a lion box for customer suggestions!
Located in downtown Green Bay, Lion's Mouth offers both new and used titles, and a variety of gift items. While learning about their store, I was impressed to discover that they host in-store school bookfair fundraisers. As many classrooms are lacking in books and teachers often spend their own money to fill their classrooms, I thought it was a brilliant idea that Lion's Mouth uses these events to have educators create book wishlists. The people attending the event have the chance to purchase books from the wishlists. This benefits the students and Lion's Mouth- a win for kids, educators, and indie bookstores!
Make sure to get your caffeine fix at the store's cafe. They have recently updated their cafe and it's a cozy spot to read that book you just purchased. In time for the summer months, they are also offering iced drinks.
The store hosts many author events and bookclubs. One of the bookclubs has a unique twist: It's the"Silent Book Club." This is a national bookclub concept where book lovers meet to socialize and talk books for about half an hour, before settling down to silently read in a group setting. Participants read what they want and there is no collective book-pick. This is ideal for people who want to develop a community of book friends, but who might not want to read a group selected book. Lion's Mouth hosts a Silent Book Club once a month. If this concept intrigues you, see if your local indie bookstore hosts a similar club!
The May Literary Road Trip Box includes a store branded fridge magnet from Lion's Mouth Bookstore. Please make sure to visit their website and if you're in the area, pop into their store. Lion's Mouth Bookstore is an awesome indie, please show them your support!
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