The Shop Around The Corner

East Village Bookshop offers good reads, good vibes

By Jessica Laskey
March 2022

Once upon a time, a young woman named Sabrina Nishijima was born in Hilo, Hawaii.

The “bookstore and library addict” traveled all over the country—New York, Boston, Portland, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco—to visit every bookstore she could.

Some were dingy, some were dirty, some eccentric, some more refined, some polished, just like the people who ran them, “all so different and wonderful in their own unique way,” she says.

In 2008, Nishijima and her husband moved to Sacramento for his job in emergency medicine. They settled in East Sacramento with their two children.

One day, Nishijima noticed that the McKinley Hair Company salon near their house was closed. Nishijima “suddenly became obsessed with the idea of making this little bookstore happen.”

Last spring, the dream came true. She opened East Village Bookshop. And she lived happily ever after.

“Neighborhood bookstores are a very special thing,” says Nishijima of her beautiful, airy space that features reading nooks, a craft table, and free coffee and tea to encourage visitors to stay awhile. “It’s something to do on any given day and you always learn something you didn’t know before you walked in and I love that. You can’t replace that feeling or experience with a website.”

East Village Bookshop is “100 percent community focused.” Nishijima’s primary goal is to “highlight and amplify diverse voices and give people of all ages and all walks of life a ‘third place,’ a community touchpoint, and interesting activities and events to attend with their families.”

The store features a wide array of books, plus free activities for all ages almost daily. Local authors and artists bring knowledge and skills to share—such as monthly lettering and calligraphy classes with Lara Kiniris—plus classes in painting and movement. East Village hosts monthly comedy nights, live music and story time. Visitors can borrow picnic games to use at nearby McKinley Park or home.

The shop is known for fresh flowers and organic popsicles. Book sales are approached in a community way. The shop frequently offers hardcover books at a 20 percent discount “to help offset the high cost.” Used books sell at deeper discounts—usually no more than $4. Customers donate books to support the shop’s programming.

The friendly staff is ready with recommendations or to order “virtually any book in print” that the shop doesn’t stock. Customers can get free porch drop-offs within 2 miles of the store.

“Every neighborhood needs a community bookstore, it doesn’t matter where you are,” says Nishijima, who plans to add programming as her budget allows. “It doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t need to be comprehensive, it’s just a place where the community can come and explore new ideas and read about different people’s experiences.”

East Village Bookshop is at 3604 McKinley Blvd. For information, visit bookshop.org/shop/eastvillage.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento.

Stay up-to-date with our always 100% local newsletter!

* indicates required
Type of Newsletter
Share via
Copy link