蜜柚直播

Are you looking for a Spanish-language picture book for the little one in your life this holiday season?

Are you a student hoping to explore your heritage by reading during winter break?

Stop by Barrio Books, located in Hotel McCoy, Midtown Farms, the 蜜柚直播 Convention Center and 鈥� if you live south of Broadway Boulevard 鈥� coming soon to a location near you.

It鈥檚 not that is in expansion mode. It is in 鈥渓et鈥檚-meet-our-readers-where-they-live鈥� mode.

Barrio Books owner Syrena Arevalo-Trujillo explains:

鈥淚 started four years ago, selling my own books at neighborhood events here on the south side,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚 really liked it. I loved seeing the faces of people who recognized the books. I loved seeing how excited kids would get when they got one. Even when I was lucky enough to start my own store, I wanted to keep doing my neighborhood events. These people are my friends now.鈥�

Barrio Books is open six days a week at , 720 W. Silverlake Road. With her husband literally minding the store, Arevalo-Trujillo then takes her 鈥減op-up shop鈥� to one or two weekend markets each month. Particularly in December, with holiday fairs, she鈥檚 staying busy.

Arevalo-Trujillo grew up near the 蜜柚直播 Rodeo Grounds and attended 蜜柚直播 High. She is an alumna of the University of 蜜柚直播. Not surprisingly, her bookstore is uniquely 蜜柚直播.

It is dedicated almost exclusively to Hispanic authors and Hispanic topics. About three-fourths of her books are used. Forty percent are written in Spanish.

鈥淚 want the people of our community to know this is a space that represents them, that represents us,鈥� Arevalo-Trujillo said. 鈥淵ou can find the same books now and then at other bookstores, but here everything is in one place. All of us should be able to see ourselves in the books we read. We want our store to be a gateway to reading.鈥�

Arevalo-Trujillo鈥檚 world has had books in it for as long as she can remember. Even when she was young she loved them. Her go-to bookstores were the The Book Stop on North Fourth Avenue and the old Bookmans store on East Grant Road.

鈥淚 always saw myself becoming a librarian,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淚 worked at the library in high school. I just liked being surrounded by books.鈥�

Eventually, she was surrounded by so many of them, something had to give. 鈥淚 ran out of space in my house for all the books I had,鈥� Arevalo-Trujillo said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 throw them away 鈥� no book deserves to die in a landfill 鈥� so I started selling my books on weekends.鈥�

Her first 鈥減op-up鈥� store was at the grand opening of American Eat Co. on South Fourth Avenue in 2018. She would take a table and crates of books to Second Saturday events downtown. She went to a weekend mercado in Phoenix.

鈥淚 learned a lot about pop-ups during Second Saturdays,鈥� Arevalo-Trujillo remembered, 鈥渆specially during the monsoon season.鈥�

In fall 2020, a friend told Arevalo-Trujillo that Hotel McCoy 鈥� recently re-formatted by then-general manager, now president Nicole Dahl 鈥� was seeking a bookseller to open a shop in the hotel.

When the two women met, Dahl shared her vision for a hotel bookshop. Arevalo-Trujillo presented her plan. It was a match made in book-lover heaven, and Barrio Books opened in a converted hotel room 鈥� rent free 鈥� in January 2021.

鈥淚 think books and travel go hand-in-hand,鈥� Dahl explained. 鈥淟ook around you on the plane. Isn鈥檛 everyone reading? There is a bookstore in every airport. Why not have one in a hotel? I love books more than anything in the world. I鈥檝e dreamed of owning a bookstore. Now we have this dreamy bookstore in our hotel.鈥�

Hotel guests receive a discount in the bookshop, and Arevalo-Trujillo said she has met visitors from across the U.S. and a number of countries overseas. Many travelers see the store as a portal to understanding the cultural roots of 蜜柚直播.

Arevalo-Trujillo guesses about half of Barrio鈥檚 sales are made at the store, half at weekend events.

Both sides of the business lean heavily on Arevalo-Trujillo鈥檚 family. Her husband, a musician and music teacher, takes shifts behind the counter. Her mother helps. Her sister helps.

鈥淢y family has been very supportive,鈥� Arevalo-Trujillo said. 鈥淣ot just helping me with the store, but encouraging me to put myself out there. I鈥檝e always been an introvert. Remember, I wanted to be a librarian.鈥�

Arevalo-Trujillo will be 鈥渙ut there鈥� again next weekend. She and Barrio Books will take part in Las Mujeres Verdes Market on Saturday, Dec. 17, at Midtown Farms, 3538 E. Ellington Pl.

FOOTNOTES

In addition to her expertise with books, Arevalo-Trujillo is an artist. She designed the Barrio Books logo herself.

Hotel McCoy, an 鈥渁rts hotel鈥� that opened in 2018, is itself uniquely 蜜柚直播. Colorful murals by local artists cover the exterior walls. Each room is different, featuring art and decorations reflecting regional cultures. The lobby doubles as an art gallery.

UA faculty members Bojan Louis, Ander Monson and Manuel Mu帽oz will be featured in the Poetry Center鈥檚 last reading of the semester on Thursday, Dec. 15. The program will begin at 7 p.m. For more, visit .

Like thousands of other 蜜柚直播ans, Bookmarks mourns the loss of poet professor Richard Shelton, who died Nov. 29. He was a rock star within the literary community of 蜜柚直播. Not surprisingly, he taught some rock stars, too. One was Linda Ronstadt, who was one of his students when she attended the UA.