Bookstore Owner Highlights Women and People of Color

At a young age, Jhoanna Belfer would often visit a mobile bookstore that was available to her where she used to live, which was Santa Ana, California. She had the opportunity to explore a variety of books for free, which she was grateful for since she came from a community where not much money was to spare on books. Belfer admired the idea of being able to visit the mobile bookstore and grab any book she was interested in.

“That to me was really powerful and I just fell in love with reading and would spend hours and hours every day with my nose in a book,” Belfer said.

As her love for books flourished into her adult life, Belfer went on to do monthly book club pop-up events in 2018 where she invited friends and families to join her. She had a great time doing this and soon realized she wanted to branch out on her own with an independent bookstore.

Belfer made the decision in 2019 to officially move into The Hangout, a store that showcases different brands in Long Beach, California and is now the official main location of her independent bookstore, Bel Canto Books. In the summer of 2021, she was able to open an additional mini bookstore inside Steel Cup Café in Long Beach, California.

Being a Long Beach resident herself, Belfer noticed the importance of opening a bookstore for a community that she described as being very diverse.

“You see people from all different walks of life mingling together and it has a very vibrant downtown and different vibrant business districts, so it gives you that feel of living in a village,” Belfer said.

Along with this, Belfer is passionate about keeping reading and writing alive for the community. She expressed that if people continue to read more it can help build their comprehension skills. Belfer also notes the benefits reading does for your mental health.

There are major chain bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Target, and Amazon. However, Belfer explains how Bel Canto Books stands out compared to these chains when it comes to the type of books she offers to customers.

“I feel like what I see in a lot of those places is books that are mainstream. You’re going to find them everywhere,” Belfer said. “It doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of personal thought into what’s going into those book selections whereas I’ve been a reader my whole life and that’s my favorite thing.”

Being Filipino and Asian American, Belfer cares about representation when it comes to the type of books she sells such as highlighting authors that are women and people of color. She also has a focus on Asian American books in her store and runs a book club called Read AAPI Book Club.

Renate Boronowsky, a loyal customer of Bel Canto Books, became gravitated to the independent bookstore due to its selection in books. She appreciated what Belfer is doing for books and authors that are not as often represented.

“Her books center women and people of color, and I appreciate that those narratives get put front and center when they’re so frequently under appreciated,” Boronowsky said.

Bel Canto Books also carries a variety of genres such as nonfiction, fiction, children’s books, cookbooks, travel books and more. There is something for anyone who walks into the store and Belfer is always eager to recommend books to her customers.

After opening Bel Canto Books, there have been some challenges Belfer has faced that come with owning an independent bookstore, not having major resources is one of them. However, one obstacle she faced along with other bookstore owners is, running a small business when the pandemic hit.

Belfer had to figure out how to navigate her independent bookstore online while still trying to make a personal connection with her customers. She came up with the idea of sending books to customers based on a survey they fill out with their reading interests and holding virtual events with different authors.

Having an online presence has become an important aspect to Bel Canto Books, especially now while the pandemic is still going on.

“It’s so important to figure out how to be online,” Belfer said. “I think that’s been a big difference between some of the older bookstores that have been around for decades who have not had websites or robust social media presence.”

Customers can visit the bookstore’s website and Instagram account to get information about pre-ordering books, book clubs and upcoming events where they can meet their favorite authors.

Ebony Murphy-Root is one of many customers who has had a great experience being part of the Bel Canto Books community and values Belfer as a bookseller. “From the moment I first met Jhoanna at the downtown farmer’s market, I felt welcomed into her community,” Root said. “I was intrigued how she evolved her store from a traveling pop-up to a dedicated space. She is obviously passionate about books and supporting writers.”

As the independent bookstore continues to grow, Belfer does not lose focus when it comes to one of her main goals, which is finding ways to bring people together through books that can be meaningful and fun for them.