Little BOHO Books

You can Judge a Book by its Cover

How Little BOHO stays afloat

Owner Sandra Dear

By Tara Ryazansky

Photos by Stephanie Petersen

Lately, most people have had time on their hands. For Sandra Dear, owner of The Little BOHO Bookshop, that’s good for business. “I think people are reading more,” she says.

“They’re using books as an escape. I read so much more now because I just have to turn off the television sometimes. We have seen that the book industry overall, while you can’t offset the sales from having your business closed, is doing well.”

The shop celebrated its third anniversary in July. Dear knows that the first five years can make or break a fledgling business. “We usually have a party in the garden,” she says, which is impossible with social distancing. “Once this is over, we’re going to have one heck of a party for all the things we missed like Easter and Mother’s Day.”

During closures, Dear kept the shop alive through social media. “I decided I was going to remain visual and make sure that I kept posting things,” she says. “If you go away online, you’ll go away.”

Game Changer

While scrolling on Instagram, Dear got an idea for a new way to celebrate BOHO “I remember seeing the museums do it,” she says. During the quarantine, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles challenged fans to recreate their favorite works of art with household items. Dear asked her followers to recreate another type of art: book covers.

“Everybody got into it!” Dear says. “Of course, there was a prize at stake.” Dear offered a gift basket to one kid and one adult who pulled off the best cover. “Picking a winner was tough.”

Winner Stephanie Petersen, a professional photographer, picked A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.

“It’s always been a favorite book of mine,” Petersen says. “I first read the book in high school after watching the Stanley Kubrick film. I was surprised at how different the book is from the film.”

Petersen’s version of the cover stars her two adorable sons dressed as the main characters. She runs a photography studio out of her home. “I am very fortunate to live in one of Bayonne’s older homes, and I have space to accommodate the

studio, the equipment, our props, and my office space all under one roof.

“This unique situation has enabled me to create many specialized photoshoots over the years. I really like to work with my clients one on one, listen to their creative ideas, and bring their ideas to life.” Visit stephaniepetersen photography.com.

You Can’t Lose

Dear awarded a prize to every child who entered. Petersen’s sons got prizes for modeling the winning photograph. Heather Ann’s recreation of Matilda by Roald Dahl was the big winner.

If she were a kid, Dear would chose Naughty by Enid Blyton. “It’s the book that I remember reading alone for the first time,” she says. Picking an adult title is more difficult. “I love The Alchemist, but maybe I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I think I would have found a creative way to do that one.”

Titles about race have been flying off of the shelves. “That gave me so much hope just to see the sheer number of books related to the topic of diversity,” Dear says. “People are educating themselves and their kids on civil rights history and our modern civil rights movement.”

Parent Pedagogy

Parents have been taking on the role of educators since virtual learning started last March. Some have turned to The Little BOHO Bookshop for resources. ”It’s been tough for parents having to play that dual role of parent and teacher,” Dear says. “Workbooks, puzzles, that’s what we were selling when they announced that schools were closing. We’re not built for isolation, and kids definitely don’t understand it.”

The shop is committed to being a community space, while following COVID guidelines.

“Book stores bring communities together,” Dear says. “I don’t know another place that gives me more joy than bookstores.” Before opening her store, Dear was vice president of sales at Penguin Random House. “This is far better than any boardroom I’ve ever been in,” she says. “We want to inspire kids to read. I do this because I love it.”—BLP