In the age of Kindles, iPads and online books, it’s not uncommon to hear remarks that seem to suggest that good old brick and mortar shops with proprietors who care deeply about their customer’s interests will soon be extinct. Not if Lorem Ipsum Books have anything to do with it. There’s a store that sits proudly in Inman Square whose only goal is to inform and entertain the community in an accessible and welcoming atmosphere. Where else can you walk in and find a book titled, “How to Fossilize your Hamster” under the Specifically Specific shelf, a book vending machine and a chicken machine? A little more on that later..

Lorem Ipsum Books (LI) has held Cambridge residency for about 8 years, calling Hampshire Street its home since Valentine’s Day, 2010. Lorem Ipsum, roughly translated from Latin as, “Pain Itself”, is a placeholder text used in publishing. Owner Matt Mankins now resides in NY, but has fond memories and states, “When I graduated from MIT, I had been living in Cambridge for 5 years, and Cambridge felt very much like home to me. Consequently, when I had the idea for Lorem Ipsum Books, it was natural for me want to stay in Cambridge. I was living in Inman Square at the time and House of Sarah had just closed. The neighborhood really needed a bookstore, and so it was natural to locate Lorem Ipsum there.” Store Co-Directors Peter Loftus and Shane Artsy share their enthusiasm for the Inman Square location, feeling at home in a, “literary trifecta of coffee, books and beer” as Loftus notes.

LI is described as, “Useful books bought and sold.” When asked to elaborate, Artsy described useful as books that are, “intellectual in a relevant way…an example would be how to do calligraphy with the left hand.” LI buys books for 15% of store credit, from local parties and beyond based on employee interests who make it their mission to be aware of the community interests at large. Artsy strongly believes in, “curation, finding these gems out of nowhere. We can’t compete by pricing but by experience.”

In addition to the printed word, LI sees itself as a welcoming space for local events. Bands such as We Avalanche and Mornin’ Old Sport have played shows and the store hosts an art gallery, handmade tables by carpenter friend of the store, reading clubs, movie nights, and poetry nights. Collaboration with area businesses include events with 1369 Coffee House and the Inman Square Business Association. Artsy adds, “We have a unique aesthetic to turn this space into a multidisciplinary area, all events are free and no one is turned away.” Cambridge resident Mitchell Broesder teaches weekly writing workshops on Tuesday nights open to all. Notably, the colorful work of local artist Tom Hart adorns the walls and displayed in the back of the store is a sign that reads, “Just because something is free it does not mean it lacks value.” Hart teaches free drawing classes on Wednesdays at LI and states "I enjoy working with Lorem Ipsum, and really appreciate their allowing the use of their store's space to offer my Corvid College drawing class. Peter and LI are making great use of the potential there to offer social opportunities, education, art and entertainment back to the community. I am happy to be involved in this endeavor."

It may seem that LI might shun the current “clicks not bricks” zeitgeist, but hardly a Luddite institution, the store embraces social media. Events are publicized on Facebook, a Twitter promotes a “word of the day” and interesting book covers are displayed on the store’s Tumblr. If you Google “Lorem Ipsum Books” you will find interesting categories listed under the heading each time. A recent search displayed, “ Sex, Sports/Recreation and Prospecting for Gold.” When informed of this fact, Loftus was unaware but noted, “ You do prospect for gold in a used bookstore anyway.”

Loftus speaks of the typical Cambridge customer with respect, acknowledging, “a privileged opportunity to engage with an intelligent community, who are independently intelligent.” A Harvard and MIT clientele do exist by obvious proximity, thus LI does sell a fair amount of psychology, philosophy and media titles but there is definite interest in other areas, such as cookbooks and fiction.

Speaking of community, a little elaboration on the aforementioned chicken machine is in order. The Co-Directors describe it as a long standing tradition, a machine filled with plastic eggs that customers can purchase for a quarter. Inside you might find little notes, journal pages, secrets, drawings, anything really. Locals are encouraged to fill eggs with items of their choosing. Community encapsulated in eggs, in Artsy’s words, true “stranger exchange.”

Loftus and Artsy expressed their sympathies when asked to comment on the recent losses of Cambridge bookstores, including Curious George and Globe. They stress that there is no competition, “We’re in this together.” The hope is that Lorem Ipsum sustains and flourishes due to mutually rewarding relationships. Loftus acknowledges, “It’s difficult to do this kind of thing without sounding pretentious, I’ve put my heart into it, and we are so dependent on the community. They are the Judge and Jury.”

For more information on Lorem Ipsum Books and upcoming events:

www.loremipsumbooks.com
Twitter:@loremipsumbooks
https://www.facebook.com/loremipsumbooks
http://blog.loremipsumbooks.com/