Turning the page on a new chapter: Help Bel Canto Books bloom on Retro Row!

For the past five years, Bel Canto Books has been your haven for inclusive reads and author events, engaging book club gatherings, and a community that celebrates the magic of storytelling. We started small with a monthly pop-up book club fueled by passion and a dream. Then, we bravely stepped into The Hangout, a popular shop collective on 4th Street, sharing our love for literature with Long Beach one story at a time. We expanded our reach with a pop-up bookstore in Steel Cup Cafe and later joined forces with fellow Filipinx small businesses and moved into KUBO LB in Bixby Knolls. Now, we're ready to turn another page in our growing story.

It’s time for Bel Canto Books to open a home of our own in the Long Beach community, and we’ve found the perfect space in Retro Row. We need your help to bring this dream to reality.

Bel Canto Books owner Jhoanna Belfer reading WHEN LOLA VISITS by Michelle Sterling

(Photo: Bel Canto Books owner Jhoanna Belfer reading WHEN LOLA VISITS by Michelle Sterling surrounded by inclusive picture books)

Our goal is to raise $25,000 to help us build this literary haven. Every dollar will go towards transforming our Retro Row storefront into a bookish paradise, complete with expansive shelves filled with amazing BIPOC-focused reads, inviting reading nooks, bookish gifts for journaling and stationery addicts, and a whole lot of literary magic.

Why Retro Row? Think vintage charm meets literary magic. This iconic neighborhood boasts some of the city's most inviting boutiques and restaurants, with a dedicated indie vibe. Our stand-alone bookstore will join other mission-driven bookstores on 4th Street like Page Against the Machine, Kitchen Lingo Books, and Casita Bookstore, creating a "Booklover's Row."

What We Need: Your support! Every dollar helps us transform this dream into a reality. We'll use the funds for furniture and fixtures, rent, staffing, and all the bookish essentials to make Bel Canto Books your new favorite literary hangout.

What You Get: More than just bragging rights (though we'll definitely be bragging!), every contributor becomes a BCB Retro Row Founding Member. That means your name will be etched in literary history on our website, social media, and even a future art installation in the store!

This isn't just about books, it's about building a community. Bel Canto Books is a space for inclusivity, connection, and celebrating the power of storytelling. We believe everyone deserves to see themselves reflected in the pages they turn, and we can't wait to create that space for you on Retro Row.

Bel Canto Books at KUBO LB interior

(Photo: interior of Bel Canto Books at KUBO LB with custom book artwork by @renatebakes)

ABOUT BEL CANTO BOOKS

Founded in 2018 by Jhoanna Belfer, a Filipina-American poet and former hospitality executive, Bel Canto Books offers a curated selection of fiction, nonfiction and children's books, organized around a theme of the month, in particular celebrating books by women and people of color. Learn more at belcantobooks.net.

ABOUT JHOANNA BELFER

Jhoanna Belfer is the founder and owner of Bel Canto Books, an independent bookstore in Long Beach CA. A Filipina-American poet and former hospitality executive, Belfer began hosting pop-up book events in 2018 as a way of connecting her business experience with her lifelong love of reading.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the California Independent Booksellers Alliance and the American Booksellers Association's Booksellers Advisory Council, and is a founding member of the Burning Issues Book Club and the Indie Bookstore Field Trips group.

In 2022, Belfer co-founded two annual AAPI-focused literary festivals, FAB (Festival of AAPI Books) Long Beach and Liwanag Lit Fest, celebrating Filipino American storytelling, in partnership with the Long Beach Public Library and a dedicated team of community volunteers.

Support Bel Canto Books on Retro Row

Woman-owned. BIPOC-owned. Indie bookstore.