Ink Fish Books
WARREN This sunny space on Main Street holds all the books you could ever want — think the hottest in new fiction , cookbooks , timely nonfiction titles and a generous smattering of children ’ s offerings . But it also serves as something more : a community hub filled with titles from local authors and handcrafted goods like candles , jewelry and snacks made by area artisans . Since opening the store five years ago , owner Lisa Valentino has turned it into the place to go for events like book signings and author talks , which you can find listed on the website . DON ’ T MISS : The Rhody Reader Box features a signed copy of Blood Sisters by Providence author Vanessa Lillie ( see inter-
view on page 48 ) along with handcrafted jewelry , soap , a candle and more . Proceeds support the Tomaquag Museum in Exeter . OWNER ’ S PICKS : Valentino adores Blood Sisters and is looking forward to titles The Women by Kristin Hannah and Table for Two by Amor Towles . 488 Main St ., 368-6827 , inkfishbooks . com
Curiosity & Co .
JAMESTOWN Is it a bookstore ? A wine bar ? A performance space ? Art gallery ? Supper club ? Curiosity & Co . happens to be all
In Rare Form
Spoilers ahead : Rarities owner Kelly Allen-Kujawski offers a sneak peek at the bookstore and bindery ’ s sequel . BY KAITLYN MURRAY
G ive us the backstory . Rarities started years ago as just a bindery . I specialize in the restoration , conservation and preservation of antique books and paper documents . I also handcraft journals and notebooks using binding techniques from 1452 . I first learned about it through a Facebook video and then enrolled in trade schools that teach it . A couple of years into the restoration work , I befriended Allison B . Goodsell , who owned the rare book store over by URI . I had mentioned that I was looking into expanding Rarities and she offered to mentor me . COVID hit and the store closed , but we still trained . Once the store was ready to reopen , I basically took over her inventory and moved it to this location [ on Main Street in Wakefield ]. It ’ s been two years now and it ’ s been quite a chapter in my life . Sorry for the book pun . So , what ’ s the next chapter ? There is a romance in owning a bookstore : You walk in and you ’ re surrounded by the smell and the colors and the textures … but at the end of the day , it ’ s a business with financials , inventory and legalities — the list is never ending . I said to my mom the other day , ‘ I haven ’ t made a journal in over a year , and that ’ s not me .’ So , it ’ s time to go back to what is me , and that ’ s being elbow deep in what I call ‘ dirty book guts .’ But this pivot doesn ’ t spell the end of Rarities . No , I sold online prior to this and did fine because this is such a niche collection . You reach those collectors who are looking for the old and the odd . After Dec . 23 , all of this inventory is going to move to my studio at Shady Lea Mill in North Kingstown . Then , starting Jan . 2 , everything will be listed on our website for online purchase , or you can make an appointment to browse in person . Tell us more about your binding services . Everything is done by hand — I only use machinery to trim paper for journals and to press the books . A lot of what I do involves hand sewing and paring leather . It ’ s very detail-oriented .
There aren ’ t many people who do the conservation aspect — they ’ re mostly restoration — and many don ’ t realize there ’ s a difference between the two . With conservation , I use as much of the original as possible with very little intervention with new materials . Whereas with restoration , a lot of clients want it to look shiny and brand new like it just came off the press . What are some past projects you ’ ve worked on ? My most popular requests are family bibles and cookbooks . Those are always fun because it ’ s preserving the family history ; many were passed down from great-greatgrandmothers or from overseas . Those tend to be my favorites because they are stories in and of themselves , and not just what ’ s written in the pages . raritiesonline . com
44 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JANUARY 2024