Jazz plays faintly in the background. Tall bookshelves form a maze. A 1930’s piano reads “please play me.” In one glance, I see an A5-sized book on Cezanne, a guide to the birds of Australia and a 20th century copy of Henry James’s “The Awkward Age.” In the heart of Menlo Park, this is Feldman’s Books, an independent bookstore selling a diverse array of second-hand books.
Founded by brothers Jack and Steve Feldman in 1996, Feldman’s Books is much more than a used bookstore. It has evolved into a creative hub and cornerstone of the Menlo Park community, regularly hosting events like live music, speaker series, book clubs, drum circles and morning meditations.
Aidan Stone, the events coordinator at Feldman’s, said the bookstore is a place “where culture and collaboration happen.” Recent events the bookstore has put on include a Friendsgiving party and solstice gathering, a monthly “bike kitchen” where people could play with a therapy dog while having their bikes fixed and a bread-baking event hosted by visiting author Manchán Magan.
More recently, after the election, people gathered in Feldman’s to play music and recite poetry. Stone referred to the need for “third spaces” and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s idea of the commended stranger, “a person who you meet in a third space who is a stranger, but there’s still some sort of intimacy or some sort of rapport.”
These connections, often found between strangers at Feldman’s, curate “a sense of community,” said Stone, who’s been with the bookstore for over 10 years.
Feldman’s connections with Stanford also run deep. For example, Stanford English professor Tobias Wolff ’78 read his memoir, “In Pharaoh’s Army,” at the bookstore on the 30th anniversary of the book’s publication. Patrick Hunt, the former director of the Stanford Alpine Archeology Project, once presented there on climate change and ancient warfare.
“A lot of the reason why we have such a rich collection here is because of the ecosystem of books flowing between here, and Stanford, and all the other schools around it. It’s a very literate area,” Stone said.
In addition to events for the broader community, the bookstore also hosts a myriad of programs for writers and artists. Gwen Minor, who began working at Feldman last year, previously hosted a writing group in Feldman’s. Minor said she seeks to build a home and community for writers and artists, especially in a modern world where artists “aren’t as valued.”
“It’s just become a hub for young creative people and older creative people — just people who want to do their art,” Minor said.
Feldman’s often collaborates with artists like Effie Zilch, a local band that frequently plays shows there.
“When the artists are in town, they’ll ask, ‘Where should we go and hang out?’ We tell them: Feldman’s books,” said Bridgitte Chatellier, a friend of Jack Feldman and a past employee of Menlo Park’s Guild Theatre.
Across the walls of Feldman’s are murals, drawings and graffiti done by community members and artists who have performed at the store.
“Somebody will do a performance, and then they’ll leave their mark,” Stone said. “It’s full of all this little kitsch, these little knick-knacks.”
Feldman’s used to be on El Camino Real — in one of Menlo Park’s oldest buildings — but moved when that location was demolished to make way for a nine-unit residential building. Stone recently made a film titled “You’ll Lose a Good Thing,” which centered on the old building’s demolition and the establishment of the new location. Luckily, remnants of Feldman’s original building still remain, like the awning and the avocado tree, which Stone and Feldman brought over and replanted.
“Feldman’s is one of the last [used bookstores],” Minor said. “It’s been around for a long time, and I think becoming a centerpiece for the community will give it longevity into the future.”