Sam Robertson and her husband Mike Robertson opened bookstore Arvida Book Company in October in Tustin, California. Photos by SAM ANDRUS, Photo Editor

Tustin local Maria Manon has always dreamed of having an authentic, local bookstore near her home. When she was younger and going to law school in Washington, D.C., she frequented shops with a sense of deep culture and community atmosphere, she said.

She hoped for that same feeling living in Orange County. But with the popularity of the Amazon bookstore and Barnes & Noble, independently owned bookstores are slowly starting to fade, collecting dust in their corners like a forgotten book on a shelf. That was, until she walked into Arvida Book Company.

“You can’t walk to an Amazon couch and flip through the book,” Manon said. “There are so many things that only a bookstore can offer and Arvida does that. It felt like something I had experienced when I was younger in college, going to these bookstores and seeing how there are thousands of words and ideas in this space.”

Many like Manon are soaking up every minute spent in Arvida Book Company, an independent bookstore in Tustin, California. Arvida was opened in October by Sam Robertson and her husband Mike Robertson. 

While starting a new business during a worldwide pandemic is not the most ideal situation, Robertson had always dreamed of owning a bookstore. Operating at only 20% capacity and conducting primarily curbside pick-up orders, Robertson remains optimistic, telling The Panther “There’s nowhere to go but up.”

“I have been a book-lover for as long as I can remember; it was the stars aligning,” Robertson said. “We are planting the seeds now because this pandemic and lockdown aren’t going to last forever. When it’s over, we will be here and be ready to help our community bloom again.”

Arvida, named as a dedication to Robertson’s grandfather for a store he owned in South America called “Arvida,” strives to bring culture to the community by showcasing local artists, book clubs and poets while providing a place for people to study, grab coffee and find their next page-turner, Robertson said. After the pandemic, they are looking forward to bringing back poetry slams as well as incorporating game and puzzle nights. 

“In Paris, there used to be these salons where all the great thinkers and artists would get together and they would hang out and have debates and discuss ideas about art, philosophy and culture,” Robertson said. “These places are necessary as humans and we need places where you can feel comfortable sharing ideas and hearing other people’s ideas.”

The community of Tustin will also be able to immerse themselves in content specifically selected for them. Robertson does not look at bestseller lists like those from the Amazon bookstore or The New York Times in choosing books to stock her shelves. To her, it doesn’t matter whether or not the author is well-renowned, but rather if the content will be significant to the Arvida community. 

“I order (books) more based on what the people want to read,” Robertson said. “Instead of ordering what the publishers are pushing, I want to wait and see what people want to read before I tell them what they should read, which is how independent bookstores function.”

Along with bringing more culture, Robertson said independent bookstores also help money circulate within the community, rather than simply contributing to corporations like Amazon. 

IndieBound, an initiative of the American Booksellers Association, found that when people spend $100 at a local bookstore, approximately $67 stays in the community. Helping the economy, educational institutions and local communities are all benefits of shopping at independent bookstores. Organizations such as Bookshop – an online source allowing people to browse from local bookstores – are making it easier to find independent shops. Arvida has partnered with Bookshop so that customers can shop online through the source, with proceeds still going to Arvida.

Yet of all the positive aspects of shopping at independent bookstores, Manon returned to the importance of human connection. Whether it’s a staff recommendation or a friendly greeting, Manon says that a place like Arvida Book Company will allow visitors to learn more about powerful ideas and stories while also evolving the surrounding community’s culture. 

“It’s like an apple and an apple pie,” Manon said. “Amazon gives you the apple, but you get this very rich apple pie and so much more when you go to Arvida; you get an experience. A bookstore is an experience and Amazon is just a transaction.”