Southern California has a new bookstore. Last Saturday, The Black Cat Bookstore & Cafe opened its doors to a stream of readers, curious book people and pleasantly surprised passersby. Located in Old Town Monrovia just behind Moo Moo Mia at 415 S. Myrtle Avenue, Unit B, it’s a bright, cozy spot with a large picture window, plenty of places to sit and shelves full of books, totes, stickers and more just off the main street. (For those of you who locate yourself via book-world mapping, that means it’s near both the Monrovia Public Library and Underdog Bookstore.) (For those using other metrics, it’s also near establishments serving food, ice cream and alcohol.) Scenes from the opening day of The Black Cat Bookstore & Cafe in Monrovia on Oct. 5, 2024. (Bottom right: Booksellers Mikayla, Nicole and Chloé. (Photos by Erik Pedersen / SCNG) If it feels like everyone is welcome here, that’s part of the plan. “We all have a background in libraries; that’s where we come from,” says store owner, Nicole Fabry. “So our mindset is less commercial bookstore and more communal meeting space, like a third space. That’s what we’re hoping for … to create a welcoming space for people.” Fabry, a Monrovia native and child of small-business owners, says getting the store open was a team effort. “My family’s been really, really helpful,” she says, before praising the two other members of the bookstore team, store manager Chloé and assistant manager Mikayla. “There’s no way I would have been able to do it without them. Like everything, the stars just kind of aligned for all of us to get together and do this.” Between the three of them, they got the physical and digital spaces ready for business. (The cafe, which they hope to have open by the end of the year, is in the permitting process.) “Chloé does the website; she does the inventory; she does all the technical stuff,” says Fabry. “Mikayla, she does all the events, meeting people. She and I really kind of built it from the ground up, like all the wallpapers, furniture, installed it ourselves. We’ve been working with the health department by ourselves. We don’t have an architect or anything like that, so we’re kind of doing it all.” “Yeah, we’re a small team,” agrees Chloé. “But effective.” In one of the day’s surprises, I realized I’d interacted with two-thirds of the Black Cat Bookstore staff in their former capacity working for a local library. Another surprise? I found a book, Satoshi Yagisawa’s “Days at the Morisaki Bookshop” (translated by Eric Ozawa), and a cool sticker I decided I needed to buy. (OK, maybe this is not surprising.) The Black Cat Bookstore & Cafe in Monrovia on its opening day, Oct. 5, 2024. ((Photo by Erik Pedersen/SCNG) As for the future, Fabry says there will be book clubs, workshops, art displays and cooperative efforts with Underdog Bookstore*, including a planned two-sided tote featuring both stores’ info on it. “We’re kind of just hoping to be a community space for local artists, for local community members, for people who like to read, for people who love coffee,” says Fabry. “You know, less staying at home, less being online, more in-person connection.” For more information about The Black Cat Bookstore & Café, visit the store at 415 S. Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia, online at www.theblackcatbookstore.com or on social media The Black Cat: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. • • • *Monrovia Bookstore Bonus: Underdog Bookstore will be hosting Melissa Whitney, author of “At First Smile,” for a book signing and disability in fiction Q&A on Sat. Oct. 12 from 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Rare Books LA at Union Station Scenes from inside the Rare Books LA at Union Station event on Oct. 6, 2024. (Photos by Erik Pedersen/SCNG) And on Sunday, I made it down to Rare Books LA at Union Station to check out the books, maps, photographs and ephemera. (Though apparently I missed a visit from film director Guillermo del Toro.) It’s a lovely space with gorgeous afternoon light and located right near where Oliver Jeffers and I met up last year. I got to see some old friends, made a couple of new ones and checked out the fine press and rare books – including a book cover Kathryn Rundell said last week that she “adored” (and it’s visible in one of the photos). And as Dodger fans (and some Padres ones, too) began streaming in to catch the stadium shuttle, I knew it was time to head home. More bestsellers, books and authors Some notable books being published in October 2024. (Covers courtesy One World, Mulholland, Bloomsbury, Ninotaur, Viking, Harper and Simon & Schuster) October surprises 15 books coming out in this month to add to your reading list. READ MORE “Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir” by Ina Garten is the top-selling nonfiction release at Southern California’s independent bookstores. (Courtesy of Crown Books) The week’s bestsellers The top-selling books at your local independent bookstores. READ MORE “Dearest” by Jacquie Walters is the scariest must-read book about new motherhood. (Courtesy of Mulholland Books/ Dana Patrick Photography) Mother, ‘Dearest’ LA-based writer Jacquie Walters weaves a terrifying tale about motherhood in her debut. READ MORE Sign up for The Book Pages Miss last week’s newsletter? Find past editions here Dive into all of our books coverage Bookish (SCNG) Next on ‘Bookish’ The next event is scheduled for Oct. 18, at 5 p.m. with authors Stuart Neville and Joshua Mohr.  Sign up for free now. 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