Youth keep LibroMobile rolling, even as the bookstore faces closure
Danna Ortiz always dreamed of working at a bookstore. So when she sought help at the Titan Dreamers Resource Center at Cal State Fullerton with help finding a job, she was connected with Sarah Rafael Garcia, owner and founder of LibroMobile in Santa Ana.
“During my interview I did tell her one of my dreams was to own a loft on top of my own bookstore/coffee shop,” said Ortiz. “It was like a dream come true coming to work here.”
Ortiz graduated with a degree in philosophy and today is the manager at LibroMobile. For the last three years, youth like Ortiz have been in charge of the store.
“You can walk in any given day we are open and you will not see me here; you will see youth,” said Garcia.
As the volunteer founder of LibroMobile, Garcia doesn’t make money from the store, but she is a mentor for the youth employed there through work study programs.
Garcia launched LibroMobile Arts Cooperative in 2016 when Santa Ana’s only other bookstore, Librería Martínez, shuttered. The name makes reference to the pushcarts she used to peddle books like paletas throughout the city. The hybrid nonprofit works to cultivate diversity through literature, free art programming and prioritizing BIPOC voices.
“We have a bunch of books that are not like the ones they sell at Barnes & Noble. We have bios and memoirs, poetry by people of color,” said Ortiz.
In 2021, the shop moved into a brick-and-mortar space at the Bristol Swap Meet at 1150 S. Bristol St. #A3 in Santa Ana. But now Garcia said, LibroMobile maybe face closure.
“We have been watching book sales decline for the last six months … but I can’t say that we were thriving off of book sales; I can say we were surviving,” said Garcia. “What we were really thriving off of were grants.”
Cuts in arts funding have made it unclear if LibroMobile can stay open beyond June 2025.
“The California Arts Council itself lost a percentage of funding which caused a trickle down impact … it’s not that we didn’t qualify; they can no longer support as many recipients as they used to,” said Garcia.
LibroMobile typically gets two grants each year, totaling about $50,000 in funds, used to pay for free art programming and to give stipends to young artists and cultural producers who keep the shop open. Free events, like Cafecito y Cuentos with Santa Ana Unified school board member Katelyn Brazer Aceves on Jan. 18, bring people into the store, but Garcia has had to dip into her savings and cancel LibroMobile’s annual literary festival.
Closing would leave the city without a bookstore during a time when its Main Library is closed for construction until 2026.
A longtime activist, Garcia has reached out to local civic leaders for help, hoping they will see LibroMobile as more than a bookstore. It is a community, Garcia believes, especially to young people who work there like Ashley Castelan, assistant manager at LibroMobile.
The 18-year-old moved up quickly after being placed at the store through the Santa Ana Youth employment program, just a week after graduating high school.
“I started off as a book adviser, checking inventory and assisting customers if they had any trouble while browsing, and the more time I spent, the more I learned, and Sara and Danna noticed that,” said Castelan.
Ortiz and Castelan are both children of immigrants, and LibroMobile is their first job. They have not only developed skills that will serve them in the future, Garcia said, but they get the chance to mentor the youth that come in after them.
“I like to leave it in their hands, I think when the youth feel empowered they step up and take the lead,” said Garcia.
Castelan is younger than some of the youth who have joined the staff since she became assistant manager, but she feels comfortable guiding them.
“When new youth employees come in, I love the fact that I can make them feel safe here too,” said Castelan.
The girls have seen how the bookstore impacts the people in their community. Recently a man came in asking for help writing his declaration statement to file for asylum. The LGBTQ+ rainbow flag and the titles on the bilingual books signaled to him this was a safe space, Garcia said.
“Danna got to witness that. I think those are the things people don’t see; we are not just selling books,” she said. “Books allow us to open doors to other conversations.”
Ortiz said the incident made an impression on her.
“You could tell his voice was cracking; he wanted to cry. He was desperate for that help,” said Ortiz.
A pot of poinsettias in the store is a thank-you gift from him.
Castelan said she also notices young people like herself taking advantage of the services and programs offered at the store.
“I know the youth are appreciative of the fact that the resources here are free. We let them print stuff for free, if they need a place to study and whatnot, they can come in here and use the Wi-Fi for free,” said Castelan.
Joan Todd, an Orange resident who is a regular at LibroMobile, started coming in to find bilingual books for her nieces in immersion school but has found books for herself, as well.
“There are so few bookstores these days, and to have one that has got such a wide variety of books is wonderful,” said Todd.
Kaye Regalado is the digital humanities coordinator at LibroMobile. The recent UC Irvine graduate created the oral history page on the store’s website and is currently working on a local author oral history. During college she volunteered with LibroMobile and found support there when she lost both parents.
“In a lot of ways LibroMobile has been an anchoring point for me,” said Regalado. “These kinds of resources have reminded me how important it is to have community even outside of family, to have friends and other people that support you.”
Now workers at the bookstore that has been there for the community are hoping to see the favor returned.
“This place feels like a second a home, if you will,” said Castelan.
So far Councilman Benjamin Vazquez, who represents Ward 2 in Santa Ana, suggested a book sponsorship program Garcia was quick to launch called “Santa Ana Reads.” The LibroMobile Movement initiative allows members of the community to sponsor books, something Vazquez has done for LibroMobile in the past.
“We need to create a reading culture in Santa Ana, and LibroMobile is one of the few resources our community has right now,” said Vazquez.
Also a teacher at Valley High School, Vazquez has signed up for a book sponsorship, and Garcia hopes other city leaders will take his lead.
“We hope that it grows into ‘Orange County Reads.’ We will see how it goes. I don’t know if its going to help us make rent until the end of next year,” said Garcia. “But it’s a start.”
Anyone interested in book sponsorship through the “Santa Ana Reads” initiative can apply through LibroMobile.
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